Metformin Keeps Aging Primate Epigenomes “In Form”September 30, 2024Those of us feeling the all too familiar effects of time may look to cut back on certain “excesses” and keep fit (in both body and mind) to maintain a healthy aging process. Now, a team of fitness enthusiasts has revealed that long-term treatment with the diabetes drug metformin maintains an aging population of monkeys […]
scEpiAge Brings Single-cell Resolution to Epigenetic Clock HeterogeneitySeptember 23, 2024DNA methylation-based epigenetic clock construction has generally relied on bulk datasets representing findings from thousands or millions of cells, and now, a new single-cell epigenetic clock age predictor known as scEpiAge may help to resolve the impact of heterogeneity. Can improved resolution offer more profound insight into the aging process? A team led by Marc […]
Amyloids Could Solve the ‘Missing Heritability’ MysterySeptember 23, 2024Science is full of mysteries just waiting to be solved. One of these mysteries is the “missing heritability” problem—it turns out that some traits seem hereditary, yet cannot be traced back to nucleic acids or even known epigenetic modifications. Now, a talented team studying C. elegans has spotted protein clumps called amyloids that could be […]
Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Changes from Vaping and Smoking Have Striking SimilaritiesSeptember 3, 2024Vaping has been touted as a safer alternative to smoking, but some recent studies are showing that the biological effects have similarities. Now, a team clears the air and reports that DNA methylation changes in vapers’ oral cells resemble those found in smokers, which suggests that vaping could have comparable long-term health effects. Smoke gets in […]
Epigenetic Machinery Fights Back! SARS-CoV-2 RNA Modifications Inhibit Replication and PathogenesisSeptember 3, 2024Recent reports have highlighted how SARS-CoV-2 infection and the resulting COVID-19 can turn epigenetics against us; however, new research now reveals that the epigenetic machinery can also help us fight back against viral attacks – in the guise of specific RNA modifications. A team of epigenetic tusslers guided by Yu Chen (Wuhan University) knew of […]
