Cutting Through the Smog of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation after Prenatal Pollution ExposureAugust 7, 2020While everyone loves hearing about a scientific controversy, clearing the air can also provide a sense of satisfaction. So, sit back and take a breath of the fresh air that an environmentally conscious team brings to the controversy surrounding mitochondrial (mt)DNA methylation through their examination of prenatal exposure to environmental stressors such as air pollution […]
Expand Your Epigenetic Editing Portfolio With Targeted RNA m6A Methyltransferases!August 4, 2020For the last few years, DNA has cornered the methylation market as the Apple of epigenome editing tools, but a newly developed CRISPR-Cas13 system has epigenetic investors buying stock in RNA editing! 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant RNA modification, and even though we know it’s involved in chromatin accessibility, RNA splicing and repairing damaged […]
Exon Skipping via Intergenerational Epigenetic Silencing Rescues Duchenne Muscular DystrophyJuly 29, 2020While missing a gym class can happen from time to time without leaving you feeling too guilty (!), you really shouldn’t “skip” a fascinating new study that now describes how a maternally-transmitted epigenetic “exon skipping” effect may act as the foundation for new therapeutic approaches for a devastating genetic muscle-weakening disease. A majority of Duchenne […]
rChIP-Seq Ratifies RNA as a Requirement for PRC2 to Rock and RollJuly 20, 2020Once in a while, an epigenetic technique comes along to rock your world more than your favorite Led Zeppelin or Foo Fighters album! Now, a band of researchers fronted by the dynamic duo of John L. Rinn and Thomas R. Cech (University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA) has just released a chart-topping masterpiece with their […]
H4K16ac Marks an Intergenerational To-Do List for Developing Fly EmbryosJuly 7, 2020Do the laundry? Check. Buy fabric softener? Got it. Write that next manuscript? Working on it… We’ve all got a lot on our to-do lists these days, but it’s nothing compared to the checklist that developing drosophila embryos have to contend with. On top of coordinating histone methylation marks, they’ve got to prepare for a […]