A CRISPR Way to Create FusionsOctober 31, 2014As CRISPR continues to evolve into the laboratory version of a Swiss Army Knife, it’s not surprising that another innovative research team have used the approach in a slick way; in this case to engineer of oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements. Chromosomal rearrangements, gene fusions, deletions and inversions are classical hallmarks of cancer. These re-arrangements lead to […]
‘Naïve’ Human Embryonic Stem Cells Found in CultureOctober 31, 2014Cultured human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) already have some idea of what they want to be when they grow up whereas cultured mouse ESCs are completely undecided about their future careers. A study published in Nature challenges this distinction and shows that some hESCs in culture still haven’t quite made up their minds. Mouse ESCs […]
Optimized Stem Cell Differentiation Protocol Aims to Mend Broken HeartsOctober 30, 2014Broken hearts aren’t just for country songs. Millions of people die each year from cardiovascular disease and related complications. Damage to the muscles of the heart during events such as heart attacks is mostly irreversible and severely affects length and quality of life for those who survive. Creating replacement muscle cells – or cardiomyocytes – […]
Histone Modification Reading Domains Crack Complex CombosOctober 30, 2014Having alternatives is always great, particularly when it comes to studying histone modifications. By using some recombinant proteins of histone reading domains, researchers from the lab of Albert Jeltsch at Stuttgart University (Germany) recently demonstrated that these domains might just one-up antibodies when it comes to deciphering the combos of the histone code. Lead author Goran Kungulovski shares that “Histone […]
Developmental Origin of Schizophrenia-Associated DNA MethylationOctober 30, 2014Schizophrenia is one complex disease, with a number of subtypes and an origin unknown. However, despite it’s complexity, recent evidence points toward an interaction between genes and environment that are mediated by the epigenome. Further adding to the complexity is the fact that most patients are treated with powerful antipsychotics that also remodel the epigenome in […]
