Linking RNA Modifications and Stem Cell PluripotencyNovember 12, 2015Recent studies reported here at Epigenie have identified N6-methyladenosine (m6A) as a highly dynamic RNA modification that influences all aspects of RNA biology. Furthermore, an interesting study in mouse and human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) has indicated a role for N6-methyladenosine in the switch between ESC pluripotency and differentiation. Cool stuff indeed, but whate regulates N6-methyladenosine deposition […]
More Insights into Sperm Epigenomics: Histone Methylation Takes It Solo TransgenerationallyNovember 12, 2015While CpG methylation has received the seminal fame of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, it seems that other players in the epigenome are just as capable. Sperm miRNAs have taken the solo spotlight in highlighting the mechanisms and distinction between transgenerational inheritance and intergenerational effect, but now histone methylation steps up to the plate leading us to […]
Astrocyte microRNAs Welcome Metastatic Cancer Cells to the BrainNovember 12, 2015If asked what to bring on a fishing trip in winter, your answer probably wouldn’t be a bathing suit and sunblock. Likewise, when cancer cells metastasize, they need the right equipment to reside in unfamiliar organs; in other words, they must adapt their expression programs to accommodate their new microenvironment. How they do this is […]
Sperm miRNA Drives Intergenerational Stress ResponseOctober 30, 2015Stress is something that we’re all too familiar with, but its impact across generations has remained controversial. The distinction between intergenerational effect and transgenerational inheritance is particularly important to understand the differences between a direct effect on exposed gametes or indirect transmission to unexposed gametes. However, the molecular mechanisms behind both phenomena have received much […]
DNA Methylation Changes in Blood Predict Breast Cancer MetastasisOctober 22, 2015Mention the word ‘surveillance’, and the people around you are likely to feel uneasy. But methods to monitor and predict the development of cancer are essential to provide the correct treatment at the right time. Now researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona show that assessing changes to DNA methylation directly in blood […]
