Getting SMRT with Direct DNA Methylation DetectionMay 10, 2010Discovering a new use for something is always a nice suprise, sort of like finding a forgotten $20 bill in your back pocket. Researchers at Pacific Biosciences realized that their single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technique could also have the bonus ability to directly detect DNA methylation (DNAm)—without bisulfite conversion or any other additional sample prep. […]
Forgetting Things? Better Acetylate Your H4K12May 6, 2010Ever feel like you’re forgetting things more often as you get older? Little things like where you put your keys or why you walked into the cold room (not that we would know what that’s like – as far as you know!) can turn into huge mysteries. Researchers now think they’ve pin-pointed why this happens, […]
CpG-SNPs & Allele-Specific Methylation Lead to Fuzzy MethylationMay 6, 2010Interpreting DNA methylation data is tough enough when you get binary, yes/no results, but can be downright maddening when your CpG sites are giving you mixed signals. Researchers at UCSD have found that it’s been allele-specific methylation (ASM) and CpG-SNPs causing much of that “fuzzy methylation”. The scientists tackled the thorny issue of CpGs with […]
microRNA Targeting mRNAs: More Exceptions Than RulesMay 5, 2010Up to now, all miRNAs have been assumed to work the same way when it comes to finding their mRNA targets, but a new paper shows that miRNAs behave more like rugged individualists in how they function. Researchers from the University of Kentucky broke out the RIP-Chip method (Argonaute, aka AGO, co-IP assays coupled with […]
BPA Seeps Into Placental miRNA ExpressionMay 4, 2010Since 2008, Bisphenol A (BPA) has seen more bad press than a big U.S. bank. The media blitz of studies linking BPA to a number of reproductive, immune and CNS disorders has led people to eye suspiciously everything from baby bottles to that cool REI water bottle you’ve been hiking with the last few years. […]
