Of Rats and Men: Prospective Fathers Should Pass on Cannabis to Preserve Sperm DNA MethylationJanuary 15, 2019While most of the focus on developmental epigenomics puts mom in the spotlight, a recent surge in sperm studies are showing that dad’s dreams of a care-free lifestyle are up in smoke. We’ve already seen that a high-fat diet can alter the sperm epigenome, and now a factor that may encourage such half-baked decisions takes the […]
Colorectal Cancer Cells Single in on an ‘Omics’ Bundle UpgradeJanuary 14, 2019It often seems the best deals come in bundles. Bundle your internet, phone service, and cable package and those long hours in the lab become a bit less tempting. But now there’s a new sequencing bundle that will make you never want to leave the lab. scTrio-seq2 is a single-cell multiomic bundling that meets your […]
Tune in to Genetically and Environmentally Tunable Polymorphic Imprinting with nc886December 10, 2018While tuning into signals is the name of the game for (epi)genomics, an exciting new study now suggests that genetic and environmental factors can tune our epigenomes by polymorphic genomic imprinting. Unlike other imprinted genes that always display monoallelic methylation, the nc886 DMR is polymorphic and imprinted in only ~75% of people. New research into this […]
It’s All in the Phylum: Lessons on Epigenetic Lineage From an Ancient RelativeDecember 6, 2018You won’t find amphioxus listed as close relative on 23andMe, but this humble invertebrate chordate may have paved the way for the successful vertebrates we’ve become. Although amphioxus split from the vertebrates over 500 million years ago on the phylogenetic tree, it still can offer some clues as to how vertebrates acquired such unique and […]
Stella is the Star that Prevents Aberrant DNA Methylation During OogenesisDecember 4, 2018The mammalian zygote is a platform for a multi-act show of dramatic rises and falls in DNA methylation. However, new research suggests that backstage, in the developing oocyte, resides the real star of the show: Stella. Stella oversees the complex choreography of DNA methyltransferases and the supporting cast to make sure the right cues are […]
