Bisulfite Sequencing the “Other” Nucleic Acid: Methylated RNADecember 16, 2008What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, so why shouldn’t bisulfite sequencing be used to study RNA cytosine methylation? Until recently, the harsh reaction conditions required for bisulfite deamination were considered detrimental to RNA stability. However, Matthias Schaefer and colleagues developed an RNA bisulfite sequencing procedure that reproducibly and quantitatively detected cytosine […]
Good Twin/Bad Twin: Is Epigenetics to Blame?October 13, 2008The Evil Twin is a staple of the soap opera genre—you know, the long-lost, villainous sister who kidnaps her virtuous twin and assumes her life, only to be discovered years later when the Good Twin escapes from imprisonment on an alien-inhabited desert isle. But in real life, how can identical twins with the same genes […]
Susan Clark: Leading Ladies in Epigenetics ResearchOctober 8, 2008A native of Australia, Susan J. Clark obtained her PhD in 1982 from the University of Adelaide. For the next 8 years, Dr. Clark worked in the biotech industry before returning to basic research where she was instrumental in developing the bisulphite sequencing method for DNA methylation analysis in the early 90s. Dr. Clark is […]
RNA-Directed DNA deMethylation: An Undiscovered Country in the RNA World?October 1, 2008Let’s face it: it’s an RNA world. In addition to RNA’s many genetic, catalytic, and structural roles, the discovery of small non-coding RNAs has unveiled an entire continent of epigenetic functions. Small RNAs act in processes such as mRNA destruction, translational inhibition, and DNA methylation. Now it appears that, at least in plants, small RNAs […]
DNA Methylation Detection Goes Small TimeSeptember 28, 2008A sensitive new nanotechnology assay might represent a “quantum leap” in DNA methylation detection. The technique, which was developed by Vasudev Bailey and co-workers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, uses quantum dots-fluorescent nanocrystals of a semiconductor material-to selectivel detect and quantify minute amounts of methylated DNA. As in methylation-specific PCR (MSP), sample […]
