Just Add HiDRO to Figure Out How Genomes Fold in Single CellsSeptember 14, 2023Water hydrates and is essential for life—for plants, humans, and even fish. So, it’s fitting that a new technique called HiDRO takes high-throughput FISH to the next level to identify factors that help genomes fold in 3D at high throughput in single cells. Cohesin helps DNA form loops, which can then form topologically associated domains (TADs). […]
An Evolutionary and Epigenetic Tour-de-force Links DNA Methylation and Mammalian AgingSeptember 11, 2023Have you climbed Mount Everest? Recorded a critically acclaimed album?? Written the great American novel??? These life-affirming feats of body and mind pale into insignificance when compared to the evolutionary and epigenetic tour-de-force reported in two recent papers based on mammalian DNA methylation datasets of colossal size and importance. An expeditionary force led by Steve […]
“Dynamite” Study Uses TNT To Destroy Epigenetic Memories in Human iPSCsSeptember 11, 2023While lingering memories can represent unwelcome guests, destroying them with the power of dynamite may seem like overkill! However, a volatile new study now describes TNT or transient-naïve-treatment as a simple means of ridding human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) of their epigenetic memories and improving their therapeutic potential. An explosive epigenetic team headed by […]
Detecting Global Levels of 5mC and 5hmC at the Same Time—With ColorAugust 23, 2023Color is exciting and fun—just look at Andy Warhol’s striking silkscreen paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Now, a new method uses bright red and green fluorescence to detect global levels of both methylated and hydroxymethylated cytosine (5mCs and 5hmCs) modifications of genomic DNA in the same straightforward assay, which could lead to easy and inexpensive clinical […]
Bringing in “Young Blood” Persistently and Systemically Slows Epigenetic AgingAugust 22, 2023Be it a football team, a book club, or an epigenetics lab, bringing in “young blood” can seriously improve quality in the short term, but does this effect endure? Now, a heterochronic parabiosis study reveals that long-term exposure to young blood induces persistent slowing of DNA methylation-based epigenetic aging and extends healthy lifespans in mice! […]