Clamping Down on Affinity ReagentsAugust 4, 2009U of Chicago protein engineer Shohei Koide knows there’s biology beyond the genome. Adding a methyl group onto a histone here, or an acetyl group onto one there, can change the way genes are expressed. There’s gotta be a reliable way of finding those postranslational mods in the first place, though, right? That’s why he […]
DNA Repeats; More Than Just Broken RecordsJuly 30, 2009Roughly half of the human genome is made up of repetitive DNA sequences, and yet their repetitive nature has made their study as difficult to decipher as James Brown lyrics on a scratched record. Recent evidence shows chromatin regulation of DNA repeats playing a role in gene regulation, genome integrity and chromosome maintenance, so scientists […]
Patience is Key to RNA Pol II Relationship with NucleosomeJuly 30, 2009here’s been lots of buzz about nucleosomes and RNAs lately. In fact, just last week EpiGenie reported that transcription initiation RNAs (tiRNAs) might be formed as RNA Pol II hits a nucleosome and backtracks. Nucleosomal post-transcriptional mods can cause RNA Polymerase II to pause or abort, while others can kick transcription into high gear. But […]
One Small SNP for miRNA, One Major Impact on Gene RegulationJuly 29, 2009Not that we’re trying to downplay the magnitude of getting peeps on the moon, but when you consider the amount of gene regulation that can be packed into a confined miRNA-target interaction one small step for man seems kinda 40yr old hat. It’s no wonder that single base changes in miRNAs and/or their targets can […]
Chromatin’s Flex in Restricted Calorie DietsJuly 23, 2009Starve a mouse and its aging processes slow to a crawl. Same thing goes for yeast and beast alike – the effects of calorie reduction (CR) on longevity are conserved throughout the eukaryote evolution. The benefits of caloric reduction in mammals have grabbed the headlines of mainstream media routinely in recent years. The July 10th […]
