Probing Placental EpigeneticsMay 3, 2011Ever since Tom Cruise publicly vowed to eat his newborn’s placenta a few years back, the “afterbirth” organ has gotten a bum rap. But recent evidence suggests that in addition to its long-recognized role in supplying oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus, the placenta also influences fetal development through epigenetic mechanisms. Now a trio […]
Epigenetic SNPs Behind Not So Positive Feedback Loop in AlcoholismMay 2, 2011We all like to celebrate here and there. Shoot…EpiGenie’s still recovering from its royal wedding breakfast bash. But most experts will tell you that moderation is key. Now, researchers in Sweden and Australia give us even more reason to heed that advice and avoid going on that next weekend bender—they found that heavy drinking can […]
Tumor Suppressor Methylation is Cause for Cancer ConcernMay 2, 2011Aberrant DNA methylation causes cancer. Wait, didn’t we know this already? Well, not exactly. Association and causation are two very different things. For instance, being smart may be associated with wearing glasses, but the actual cause is a desire to not bump into everything. In order to determine whether aberrant DNA methylation at particular loci […]
Histone Mods? There’s an App for ThatApril 29, 2011Although they’re better known for robust histone “abs”, the folks up at Millipore have now demonstrated that they’re not too shabby at cranking out solid histone “apps” as well. The team just released an iPad® app that’s a really slick, interactive resource for histone modifications available, absolutely free in iTunes. Why waste time on Angry […]
Fire Up Your Methylation Analysis With QIAGEN’s PyroMark CpG AssaysApril 26, 2011Fast, inexpensive, and accurate, pyrosequencing has become a go-to method for many researchers looking for quantitative methylation data. Designing methylation assays using primers for bisulfite converted DNA can be tricky though, and dealing with assay optimization is no small feat either. Fortunately those worries go up in smoke with QIAGEN’s new PyroMark CpG Assays. Custom […]
