ChIPing Away at Small Samples with Direct SequencingDecember 1, 2009One rarely hears mention of deep sequencing without “more” being dropped into the sentence. More coverage, more depth,…more sample? That’s right. As valuable as next generation sequencing platforms have become, those library construction protocols demand a fair amount of sample. Often more than can be coaxed out of a biopsy, or other small cell population. […]
Bulletproof Your Bisulfite Conversion: Key Considerations from the ExpertsDecember 1, 2009There’s a lot of talk out there about bisulfite conversion, how useful it is, how it’s the “Gold Standard,” how laborious it is, how rough it is on your samples, but the reality of it is that there probably isn’t any better way to prep your samples for single nucleotide resolution methylation profiling, so don’t […]
Got miR-2861? Novel miRNA Is Linked to OsteoporosisNovember 18, 2009What can you do to keep your bones healthy and strong? In addition to sporting the ever-trendy milk mustache, you might want to avoid mutations in miR-2861, a newly discovered miRNA involved in osteoblast differentiation. A team of Chinese researchers identified miR-2861 by cloning miRNAs from primary mouse osteoblasts (the cells responsible for bone formation). […]
Sopping Up Regulatory Insights with miRNA SpongesNovember 17, 2009We’ve all seen those household cleaning commercials on the tele that show a super detergent that cuts through grease, whitens whites, and zaps pet odor effortlessly, so when we first got wind of miRNA sponges a few years back (Nature Methods, August 2007), we remember being interested but skeptical. But, if these vector-driven miRNA inhibitors […]
MBD-Sequencing: The Latest Methylation Analysis Cocktail DeliversNovember 17, 2009Add 1 part enriched methylated DNA to 2 parts sequencing lanes, and you have a cocktail that delivers key insights without a data hangover. Last week, a team of Ohio scientists added the latest research recipe that is destined to become a lab fav in Nucleic Acids Research. The crew took the benefits of methylation […]
