EpiGenie Reviews: Genomic Imprinting – Methods and ProtocolsFebruary 24, 2013Genomic imprinting, or examining instances where paternal and maternal genomes aren’t represented equally, has kept many brilliant minds busy for decades. It has also established the foundations for emerging field of epigenetics. In the 2012 update of Genomic Imprinting: Methods and Protocols, edited by Nora Engel, experts in the field cover the most up to […]
High Def DNA Methylome Maps Point Out Male and Female Germ Cell DifferencesFebruary 20, 2013What sets males and females apart? Actually, let’s not head there, but how about at the methylome level? Quite a bit it appears. In a recent paper, researchers from Japan report that male and female primordial germ cells (PGCs) have different methylomes during development—at least in mice. While these germ cells divide and move to […]
Go Small with EpiSeeker Bisulfite Modification Kit – Whole CellFebruary 14, 2013In DNA methylation studies, some of the biggest findings come in the smallest sample sizes. But if you’re not using the right bisulfite conversion system, potential gold in samples like tissue biopsies, microdissected samples, and stem cells might be off limits. That is of course, unless you’re using a slick system like Abcam’s Bisulfite Modification […]
Tackling Heterogeneity with DNA MethylationFebruary 12, 2013Heterogeneity adds value to our culture in numerous ways, but when it comes to analyzing large-scale case/control studies with blood, heterogeneity can be more frustrating than a Rubik’s Cube. Since blood is an easy-to-get, relatively noninvasive specimen, it’s ideal for disease diagnosis and for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments. Scientists have reported that DNA methylation […]
EpiGenie Guide: ChIP Antibody ValidationFebruary 11, 2013If you can find a ChIP Grade or ChIP Validated antibody, then you’ve got a head start. But there’s no reason to stress if you can’t. Leave that for the data analysis part of your experiments (only kidding). A quick check of the spec sheet of any antibody can reveal lots of useful info. Here […]