More DNAm Data, Less Sample: Reduced Representation is No BSJanuary 13, 2010When someone tells you that they can save you time, money and sample, the magic trifecta for most scientists, your first thought is probably: “Bull&@%!”…your second thought might be: “Where do I sign up?” A new Nature Methods article from researchers at Broad, MIT, Harvard, and the Max Planck Institute promises to do just that […]
Two ES Cell Types Find Some Common GroundJanuary 6, 2010Coming from different backgrounds doesn’t make it impossible to find common ground. Just look at nuclear transfer-derived ES (ntES) and in vitro fertilized embryo-derived ES (IVFES) cells. Sure, they’re from different sides of the ES cell tracks, but as researchers from Michigan State University found out, once they’ve differentiated it hardly seems to matter. NtES […]
Zygotes Reboot On Paternal Methylation PatternsJanuary 6, 2010Kids often rebel against their parents as they grow up, and as it turns out, so do zygotes. Feeling “too cool” for their paternal sperm’s methylation patterns, zygotes assert their individuality by “rebooting” the inherited 5mCs and starting from scratch. But up until now, it was their little secret how they pulled it off. Researchers […]
Developing Technologies for Improved In Vivo Epigenetic Imaging/AnalysisDecember 15, 2009The NIH is opening up its wallet again for epigenetic technology development. $3.5M will be allocated in 2010 for developing in vivo epigenetic imaging and analysis technologies. According to the grant description, the NIH has recognized that “… the technologies available to determine the epigenetic state of tissues in vivo are extremely limited. The specific […]
Targeted Bisulfite Sequencing with Padlock ProbesDecember 8, 2009A rising star in the epigenetics field, Dr. Kun Zhang joined the UCSD faculty in 2007 after a post-doc with George Church at Harvard. Engaging in a little friendly competition with his former mentor, Zhang published a technique for targeted bisulfite sequencing using padlock probes (Nat. Biotechnol. 2009, 27, 353) at the same time the […]