dCas9 Shoots Down Microsatellite Repeat ExpansionNovember 22, 2017Dealing with microsatellite disorders has been as difficult as shooting down actual satellites, but thanks to dCas9 its gotten a lot easier. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has proven to be much more than just a pair of scissors. For instance, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) uses deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) to create site-specific steric hinderance to perturb gene expression. […]
An endosiRNA Trap Shoots Down the Transposable Element Rebellion of Embryonic DevelopmentNovember 12, 2017During early embryonic development, our genome lets down its DNA methylation defenses and becomes vulnerable to rebellious transposable elements (TEs). However, those rebel scum are quickly met with a barrage of endogenous short interfering RNAs (endosiRNAs), all before they realize even realize that “It’s A Trap!” The mechanism of this cunning tactic employed by our […]
Base Resolution Profiling Details the Intricacies of the m1A RNA ModificationNovember 4, 2017Insurance contracts, loan agreements, and scientific studies; while it’s easy to pretend that we know what´s going on after a quick skim, we often require a detailed interpretation of the complex combinations of letters, numbers, symbols, and accents to gain a fuller comprehension of the matter at hand. In the realm of our epitranscriptomic language, […]
High-Resolution Hi-C Delivers High-End Chromatin Conformation Maps of Neural DevelopmentNovember 2, 2017Hi-C-based three-dimensional chromatin conformation analysis is currently living the high-life, with multiple high-impact studies recently employing this high-flying molecular technique to gain new insight into the cell cycle, fertilization, and reprogramming. Now, researchers under the high command of Boyan Bonev and Giacomo Cavalli (Université de Montpellier, France) have applied this high-class technique to understand how […]
Your Brain on Stress: The Role of Dynamic DNA 6mA ModificationOctober 30, 2017Stress has a way of getting under our skin, where it can sink in so deep that it modifies our brain’s DNA. While it can alter DNA cytosine modifications, such as 5-methylcytosine (5mC), a new role for the N6-methyladenine (6mA) modification in stress response has now emerged. DNA 6mA has recently made the grade as […]
