Age, Sequence, and DNA Methylation are Culprits of Lactose IntoleranceMay 20, 2016While fine wine and aged cheese are culinary delights, some of us who dine on dairy often start to go a bit ‘sour’ with age and develop lactose intolerance. Thankfully, to aid our mental digestion of such a foul fate, a collaborative effort between Toronto and Lithuania has shown the molecular mechanism of why we can […]
On Demand Demethylation with dCas9-TET1May 16, 2016Every researcher loves a good tool, and lately, it seems that CRISPR might be an even more modular tool than PCR. Attesting to the modularity of CRISPR/Cas9 is catalytically deactivated Cas9 (dCas9). dCas9 has the precision of Cas9, when combined with sgRNA, and can be fused to a modular effector domain that allows for extra […]
Small Molecule Cocktails are a Big Hit at the Cellular Reprogramming PartyMay 6, 2016Cellular reprogramming represents the biological equivalent of spinning gold from straw: the generation of one therapeutically-desired cell type from another more abundant, and less useful, starting cell type. Following reprogramming, we can incorporate the resultant cells into new and effective patient-specific regenerative strategies. Reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generates a […]
Trifecta of Epigenetic Methylation Reveals a Long-Term Profile of Fetal Alcohol ExposureMay 6, 2016During this time of the year, it’s easy to get caught up in landscaping. Regardless of whether your landscaping is of the epigenetic or garden variety, it seems that either way we can all benefit from the wisdom of the old saying, “can’t see the forest for the trees”. Sometimes we just get so caught […]
Liquid Biopsies Reveal More than Sequence: The Epigenomics of Circulating Cell-Free DNAMay 6, 2016Every good captain knows that when your ship is in distress, you send out an SOS. Now, two new papers now leave us wondering if that tactic is borrowed from diseased tissues. Many diseases are characterized by cell death that releases circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) into the blood stream, which can now be analyzed in […]