Environmentally Reprogrammed Sperm Epigenetically Transmit Behavior Across GenerationsJuly 11, 2017Life’s full of experiences that often seem like a coin toss. Should you go the gym or feast on some sushi? While the epigenetic mechanisms behind the outcomes of these two events may seem quite different at first, when considering the epigenetics of sperm, it turns out they’re two-sides of the same coin. Intergenerational Effect […]
“Drop” Everything for the New Liquid Model of Heterochromatin Domain Formation!June 30, 2017The field of epigenetics tends to be very “fluid” with new studies and paradigm shifts seemingly the norm! Now two new studies in Nature have described a new liquid model for the formation and function of silent chromatin domains known as heterochromatin. The predominant view of heterochromatin formation and function tells us that repressive epigenetic […]
Down is the New Up: Single Base-Pair Methylome Maps of CancerJune 29, 2017Navigating the highly variable features behind the epigenomic basis of cancer is no easy task: What’s up is down, what’s down is up! Thankfully, to aid our quest, the lab of Manel Esteller at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Spain has brought forth a map as massive as the DNA methylation changes behind […]
Epromoters: Two Great Regulatory Functions for the Price of One!June 19, 2017Not many people can resist the allure of the ubiquitous neon signs promising fantastic two-for-the-price-of-one offers that promise to double the value of their hard-earned cash. Interestingly, these bargain offers also seem to be a feature in the human genome as a subset of promoters provide extra value by also acting as enhancers for other […]
HDACking Histone Acetylation With dCas9-HDAC3June 12, 2017Hacking the epigenome is no easy task. Each deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) system boasts its own nuances that must be teased apart before we can crack the histone code with its suite of effector domains. When it comes to histone acetylation, we’ve seen the histone acetyltransferase construct dCas9-p300, which writes H3K27ac to activate gene expression. However, […]
