Histone Acetyltransferase Circumin Eases Neuropathic PainMarch 17, 2014There’s definitely not much “gain” in Neuropathic Pain, but recently some Histone Acetyltranferases (HATs) have begun to show great promise in the clinic. This includes circumin, which is used to treat a number of conditions like Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Arthritis and Neuropathic Pain. Circumin is a (p300/CREB-binding protein (CBP)) inhibitor of HAT activity, but the biological mechanisms for […]
Bees Join the Genomic Imprinting HiveMarch 17, 2014The buzz had always been that DNA methylation mechanisms appear absent in most insects, but are known to occur in social insects, like bees. And while genomic imprinting has long been known to favor chromosomes in plants and loci in mammals, bumble-bee research from the University of Leicester came across another honeypot of epigenetic theories. Other […]
EpiGenie Book Reviews: Epigenetics by L. ArmstrongMarch 14, 2014After working on some of the UK’s first embryonic stem cells and developing the world’s first cloned human embryos, Lyle Armstrong turned his attention to the creation of a useful text that would benefit the epigenetic novice as well as the seasoned investigator. With a number of groovy figures and illustrations, they key concepts of […]
CpG Canyons Join the DNA Methylation LandscapeMarch 14, 2014While CpG Islands and CpG Shores have always been hot destinations on the CpG landmark tour, a new feature has emerged that may just give them a run for their money. Using genome-wide mapping of 5mC and 5hmC in mouse stem cells to explore the luxurious shores and islands of the CpGenome, an adventurous team from the Baylor College of […]
Zinc Fingers Clinch Clinical Gold Medal Against HIVMarch 10, 2014It’s a little late to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but Genome Editing still scored a huge translational gold medal. Deploying Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) genome editing techniques, researchers have edited the CCR5 ‘trojan horse’ receptor that HIV uses to infect our immune system’s vital CD4 T cells. ZFNs have shown promise with their combination of […]
