Orange You Glad for Methylation’s Role in Fruit Ripening?February 12, 2019If you like to start your day with a glass of orange juice, you can thank epigenetics for that. More specifically, you can thank DNA methylation, since it’s been recently shown to play a crucial role in the ripening process of the sweet orange fruit. The collaborative efforts of Jian-Kang Zhu at Purdue University (Indiana, […]
Histone Methyltransferase Loss Disconnects the Autistic BrainFebruary 12, 2019Connection and communication represent two crucial concepts in the massive and complex network that is the mammalian brain; therefore, the disruption of neural connections during early development may promote the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders. Previous studies have linked the histone methyltransferase SETD5 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which inspired researchers from the lab of Alysson […]
ChIP-seq SNFs Out the Epigenomic Impact of SWI/SNF Loss in Paediatric Brain TumorsFebruary 8, 2019Cancer researchers have been SNFing around the role of the SWI/SNF complex for a long time. By SWItching to a ChIP-seq approach, novel details about how biallelic loss of a key gene promotes a cancerous epigenome have been uncovered. SWI/SNF (or BAF) is a chromatin remodeling complex and a key regulator of early development that […]
Epigenetic Editing Wipes Fear Memory in a Sex-Specific MannerFebruary 4, 2019Whether it’s the sure thing you bet on for the Super Bowl or the grant that keeps escaping your grasp, some memories are best forgotten. However, memories are complicated to say the least, and with most of us left wanting to retain a few of the more enjoyable examples, a targeted editing approach would certainly help. Thankfully, new […]
Too Much Tau Over Relaxes Chromatin in Neurons in Aging and Alzheimer’s BrainsFebruary 3, 2019Taking a break can be a great thing for our aging brains, it gives us a chance to unwind and open ourselves up to new ideas. However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, where overly relaxed chromatin can wreak havoc on an aging neuron and drive pathological changes! One of the […]