Epigenetic Editing Approach Causally Connects Adolescent Alcohol Exposure to Psychiatric Disorder RiskMay 23, 2022The modularity of current epigenetic editing technology allows us to evaluate the causality of connections from multiple angles. Now, epigenetic editing in rats using dCas9 activators and repressors has provided a welcome new perspective on how adolescent drinking can induce the onset of psychiatric conditions in adults. Binge drinking during adolescence (a critical period for […]
NANOG’s Prion-like Behavior Builds Bridges to PluripotencyMay 11, 2022In both the literal and figurative sense, building bridges can really get you places! Knowing this, genome engineers and epigenetic architects recently created a blueprint demonstrating how a pioneer transcription factor – NANOG – uses prion-like behavior to form gel-like protein condensates that create interstrand DNA “bridges” to reorganize chromatin and clear a rapid path […]
EPIC Technique Infers Gene Expression from Cell-free DNA FragmentationMay 9, 2022It’s time to put down that well-thumbed copy of Homer’s Odyssey, as there is a new epic in town. Now, the “epigenetic expression inference from cell-free (cf)DNA-sequencing” (EPIC-seq) technique heroically enables gene expression analysis using a process known as “fragmentomics.” Circulating cfDNA comes as nucleosome-associated fragments that reflect the chromatin configuration in the cell of […]
Battling Against the Clock: Epigenetic Age Acceleration Impacts COVID-19 SeverityMay 2, 2022Timing is crucial for many aspects of life, and now, a rather timely study demonstrates that the acceleration of our epigenetic clocks after SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly impacts our risk of suffering severe COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome (“long COVID”). Previous research has described how older patients suffer from a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 (independent […]
Rixosomes Take Out RNA to Keep Silent Polycomb-target Genes Quiet!May 2, 2022Some pesky Polycomb-target genes know too much about genome-wide goings-on, and while these nervous sections of DNA might keep silent for now, how can we ensure that our cells maintain this code of silence? It turns out that human cells, just as in yeast, possess an enforcer that mercilessly chops up RNA messages produced from […]
