miRNA-29b at the Bedside?February 16, 2009Start stocking the miRNA-29b in your medicine cabinet. A group of researchers from The Ohio State University recently cranked out some great data demonstrating how miRNAs work to regulate DNA methylation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), outlining a potential therapeutic use of mir-29b. The study reveals how miR-29b works by targeting DNA Methyltransferases (DNMTs), the […]
DNA Methylation Resuscitation in PlantsFebruary 3, 2009Conventional wisdom had it that once a methylated repeat sequence is heavily demethylated, there’s no turning back. Not only don’t they become remethylated, but subsequent generations inherit the epigenetic changes as well. But a group of European researchers have found that this isn’t always the case and there are at least two distinct classes of […]
Blast from the Past: Methylation Profiling of Archival Lymphoma SamplesFebruary 3, 2009Imagine that you could go back in time and analyze the DNA methylation profiles of long-ago cancer samples (not to mention recession-proof your investment portfolio). EpiGenie can’t help with the latter because our time machine is on the fritz, but we can tell you about a new study in which researchers profiled the methylomes of […]
LCM to Data: Navigating the Small Sample Obstacle Course in DNA Methylation ProfilingJanuary 25, 2009Tissue heterogeneity has pestered researchers desiring a closer look at tissue-specific genomics and epigenomics. Sure, laser capture microdissection (LCM) platforms have been really helpful in isolating very small and specific regions of tissue, but that’s only half the battle. Working with minute amounts of LCM samples, particularly when they’re derived from the battered formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded […]
CHARMed I’m Shore: Meet the Latest Hotspots for DNA MethylationJanuary 19, 2009Between reading Dilbert cartoons and refilling their Swingline staplers, many of corporate America’s finest day dream of holidays to distant islands, but they’re not alone. Researchers studying DNA methylation have made minimal attempts to hide their infatuation with CpG islands, after all, these regions tend to associate themselves with prestigious protein-coding regions of genes. An […]