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 […]
Genomic Imprinting’s Alternative Choices: H3K27me3 and 5hmCJuly 31, 2017In today’s world, where choices are a plenty, alternative is a fashionable choice. When it comes to genomic imprinting, traditionalists swear by DNA cytosine methylation (5mC); however, sometimes imprinting turns to alternative epigenetic marks. Genomic imprinting is typically driven by 5mC at imprinting control regions (ICRs), where it represses the expression of the marked allele […]
Genome Protection in the Embryo: A Big Role for Small RNAs!July 27, 2017It’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it that counts. Here at Epigenie, we don’t think that size matters, as evidenced by our excitement over studies showing that small RNAs in sperm can mediate huge intergenerational effects related to paternal exercise and diet! Now, a fascinating study from the lab of […]
Exploring the TERRA Incognita of Long Non-Coding RNAs!July 14, 2017Decades of diligent exploration in the mammalian genome has led to the discovery that while only around 2% of this base-pair jungle represents protein-coding sequence, over 90% of our genome gets transcribed into RNA species such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, our knowledge base on many lncRNAs remains in “terra incognita” with scant details […]
Environmentally Reprogrammed Sperm Epigenetically Transmit Behavior Across GenerationsJuly 11, 2017Life’s full of experiences that often seem like a coin toss. Should you go the gym or feast on some sushi? While the epigenetic mechanisms behind the outcomes of these two events may seem quite different at first, when considering the epigenetics of sperm, it turns out they’re two-sides of the same coin. Intergenerational Effect […]
