Targeted and Reversible Chromatin Conformations Crafted by CLOuD9August 27, 2017Imagine a world where you could create chromatin loops where and when you want. You’d feel like you’re on cloud nine. Well, get your head out of the clouds, because you’ve got to thank the lab of Kevin Wang at Stanford for targeted and reversible chromatin loop reorganization using deactivated Cas9 (CLOuD9). The CLOuD9 system […]
Single-Nuclei Neuronal Methylomes Single in on New Brain Cell SubtypesAugust 20, 2017Every population has its own unique identity, and behind that is our brain, an organ composed of cellular populations with their own unique DNA methylation identities. However, capturing the true diversity of a population requires the ability to observe each individual in that group and for methylomes that requires innovations in single-cell bisulfite sequencing. In […]
Running in Circles: circRNAs Act as Shuttles for miRNA CargoAugust 15, 2017Feeling out of the loop about all the different non-coding RNAs being described? Well hold on, because circular RNAs (circRNA) are about to throw you for a loop. Mammalian circRNAs are created by covalent closure of transcribed exons into loops. These circRNAs are highly expressed in specific brain regions, and conserved between mice and humans. They […]
dCas9 Epigenome Editing Toolbox Smashes Histone Methylation DogmaAugust 14, 2017Tools are great for building, but sometimes it’s more fun using them to break things down. While we’ve applied deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) tools to build our knowledge of DNA methylation, this time it takes an entire toolbox to break the connection between histone methylation and gene repression. This constructive deconstruction comes at you from the […]
The Great Unknown of Chromatin Conformation DynamicsAugust 7, 2017Apart from the ever rising and falling measurements of one’s waistline and bank balance, the three-dimensional (3D) chromatin conformation of the mammalian genome is one of the most dynamic and least understood factors in a scientist’s life. Luckily, the development of new high-definition techniques and enhanced computational analyses are helping us to understand how the […]
