Methylome Stays Fashionable Throughout DifferentiationFebruary 5, 2010Our fashion sense evolves as we do. Just as you may trade your flip-flops for a business suit as you climb the corporate ladder, DNA methylation changes its style in cells that become more committed. To size up these methylation changes during differentiation, researchers at the UCSD Department of Reproductive Medicine and GIS in Singapore […]
Self Service Transcription Lane Now Open for miRNAsFebruary 2, 2010Many retailers have opened up self-service checkout lanes lately, which are great for those customers with just a few items, or don’t want to get stuck behind the old couple who still pays with paper checks. According to a recent report, when it comes to transcription, at least some miRNAs might have the option to […]
In Evolution, Change Is the Only (Epigenetic) ConstantFebruary 1, 2010Most of us are thrown for a loop when conditions suddenly change, but some are better able to cope than others (we still haven’t gotten used to the new Facebook format). A recent PNAS paper by Johns Hopkins’ epi-gurus Andrew Feinberg and Rafael Irizarry makes the case that some of this adaptability stems from stochastic […]
Methylation Puts Nucleosomes in the Hot SeatFebruary 1, 2010It’s no fun to get put in the “hot seat”. Whether it’s your advisor ragging on you for not having enough data; or your sweetie reminding you that you forgot your anniversary. Again. In either case, you sink lower and lower into your chair, and your muscles tighten while you take what you have coming. […]
Et Tu, Methyl Group? Epigenetic Betrayal of NSD1February 1, 2010Sometimes your best friend can become your worst enemy. Take the case of the methyl group and the histone methyltransferase enzyme NSD1: The methyl is NSD1’s little buddy through countless histone methyltransferase reactions, when suddenly the backstabbing little –CH3 teams up with a DNA methyltransferase to silence NSD1 expression. This tale of intrigue was told […]
