The New Players in Epigenetic Reprogramming with Dr. Wolf ReikFebruary 3, 2014Dr. Wolf Reik discusses the latest advances in epigenetic reprogramming, and what those new discoveries might lead to. The New DNA Methylation Landscape So it’s become apparent in the last two years, I guess, that there is this process of genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming which occurs naturally in germ cells, early embryo stem cells, et cetera, […]
Webinar: Mechanisms of Epigenetic Regulation in Stem Cells and DevelopmentJanuary 31, 2014Dr. Alexander Meissner discusses the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in stem cells and development. Cytosine methylation in mammals is an epigenetic modification that is largely restricted to CpG dinucleotides and serves multiple critical functions including stable repression of target promoters, maintaining genomic integrity, establishing parent-specific imprinting patterns, and silencing endogenous retrotransposon activity. In somatic tissues, […]
Up In Smoke: Nicotine’s Epigenetic ConsequencesJanuary 22, 2014As anyone who has tried to kick a pack-a-day cigarette habit can attest, nicotine is bad news. The jitters and surly attitude are bad enough, but according to a new investigation, fetal nicotine exposure also does some pretty insidious epigenetic damage. Daniel Hardy and a talented team Western University (Canada) have revealed a chromatin mechanism that […]
Methylation Separates Men from MonkeysJanuary 21, 2014While we may share ‘99% of our genes’ with chimps, some cutting edge research has shown that when it comes to evolution, taking the stance of pure genetic determinism may just make a monkey out of you. The gene bringing today’s lesson? CNTNAP2, one of nature’s largest, with a role in human-specific language abilities and […]
The Next Steps in Chromatin Contact Analysis with Dr. Gerd BlobelJanuary 20, 2014Dr. Gerd Blobel discusses emerging techniques for visualizing the interactions of RNAs and chromatin. The Future of Chromatin Contact Analysis So there are other approaches that people are taking, which is: you use FISH, for example, Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization. And this is a method that can be used to validate interactions that have been […]
