ChIP-Sequencing Tips for Small SamplesApril 28, 2010ChIP sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has revolutionized the way researchers can study protein-DNA interactions, enabling genome wide protein binding profiling in one experiment, rather than looking one locus at a time. Not satisfied with pushing just one envelope, today’s researchers are now moving towards samples that are very limited. Fortunately, ChIP methods have aged finer than a […]
RDM1 Corners the RNA Directed DNA Methylation PuzzleApril 28, 2010It’s often easiest to put together a jigsaw puzzle by finding the corner pieces first, then working on the borders before moving on to what’s happening in the center. A similar approach to solving the transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) mechanisms in Arabidopsis has identified a protein, RDM1, which seems to […]
Digging Deeper with Invitrogen’s MethylMiner™ Methylated DNA Enrichment KitApril 15, 2010Methyl-binding proteins are rapidly becoming a preferred solution for researchers looking to boost the sensitivity of their DNA methylation analysis. Current approaches that use antibodies for DNA methylation enrichment have been useful to many, but alternative methods that use methylation binding proteins like the MBD2 in Invitrogen’s MethylMiner™ Kit grip methylated DNA tighter than skinny jeans on […]
Hydroxymethylcytosine Shakes Up the Epigenetics CommunityApril 15, 20105-hydroxymethylcytosine’s (5-hmC) discovery last year in mammalian DNA (Kriaucionis & Heintz, Science, 2009. and Tahiliani et al., Science, 2009), left the epigenetics community more shaken than a 007 martini. Although its broader role (if any) in epigenetics remains a mystery today, early evidence suggests a few putative mechanisms that could have big implications: Conversion of […]
Decoding Autism’s Epigenetic RiddleApril 14, 2010Autism is a developmental disorder that’s shrouded in mystery. Its causes are unknown and hotly debated, but some recent detective work hints that through changes in miRNA expression and DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns, there is an epigenetic link. Autism often brings to mind Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, who was deeply focused on only […]