Epigenetic Study Suggests that the Safety of Vaping is Running on FumesMarch 2, 2020With as many flavors as there are epigenetic modifications, vaping has arrived on the scene as a safer alternative to the smoking of cigarettes and a means to give up a rather unhealthy habit. However, the rise in vaping-related lung injuries and the “unforeseen” massive uptake of vaping by teenagers have prompted scientists to undertake […]
Darwinian Selection Acts on DNA Methylation: Persistence of 5mC Without a De Novo MethyltransferaseFebruary 18, 2020Having trouble maintaining that New Year’s resolution to stay fit? Then you might want to ask a yeast for some advice: it turns out some of their evolutionary fitness is tied to maintaining DNA methylation with a methyltransferase for millions of years. DNA methylation is a common genomic modification, present in all life and prevalent […]
A Dynamic Epigenetic Editing Duo: Mutant DNMT3A and SunTag Team Up to Reduce Off-Target MethylationFebruary 4, 2020Some of the best superheroes are born out of a mutational event. It’s how Peter Parker became Spiderman, how Bruce Banner turned into the Incredible Hulk, and where the X-Men derive their powers. It just goes to show that mutations aren’t always a bad thing — a point exemplified by the new superhero team in […]
Single-cell Multi-omic Maps of Germ Layer Enhancers – Deciphering The Best-laid Body-Plans of Mice and Perhaps Men?January 22, 2020A weekend away with a book of poetry, a mountain biking holiday, or perhaps a daring jewel heist……whatever your idea of a fun weekend is, a well-laid out, precise set of instructions usually help; in short, you need a plan! In the gastrulating mouse embryo, precise epigenomic and transcriptomic instructions dictate the differentiation of pluripotent […]
Retrotransposons LIT the Way for Genomic Imprinting During EvolutionJanuary 9, 2020It’s clear that humans and mice have taken very different evolutionary paths, but new research suggests that transcription from long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTRs), which are endogenous retroviral elements that can induce DNA methylation in oocytes, may have acted as guiding lights along the forks in the road. Besides the obvious differences in size, furriness, […]