Differential Methylation Data Are Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive with FML-seqNovember 7, 2023Sometimes you just want to get straight to the point. Along those lines, FML-seq (fragmentation at methylated loci and sequencing) cuts to the chase by providing a quick look at differential methylation data without the labor and expense of other approaches. Granted, some methods like whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) tell you where every methylation event is, […]
5hmC Stands Apart from 5mC Through Single-Cell Multi-omic MethodsOctober 23, 2023Sometimes, you really want to stand out from the crowd. For years, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) has lurked in the shadows, often lumped together with 5-methylcytosine (5mC). However, these modifications have different effects—5mC generally turns down expression and 5hmC ramps it up. Sure, several methods can tease apart 5mC and 5hmC, but they require a lot of sample […]
Kacme: A New Histone Modification Couples Methylation and Acetylation to Mark Active TranscriptionOctober 23, 2023Some couples seem unlikely, yet somehow, they work (a recent pop star-football player pair comes to mind). Now, an even more surprising couple—a methyl group and an acetyl group—hanging out together on the very same lysine residues on histone H4s has just been spotted across species and appears to be involved in active transcription. Mind. […]
The Missing LncRNA: How the Gut Microbiome Communicates with their Host to Regulate MetabolismOctober 23, 2023Bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the mammalian gut microbiome vastly outnumber the cells in the human body; however, the detailed mechanisms these gut-dwelling commensal partners use to communicate with their generous hosts and induce responses represent somewhat of a “missing link” in this research. Now, a new epigenetics-based study shows that we should have been […]
eBook: RNA & TranscriptomicsOctober 13, 2023Analysis of the working of our RNA, from transcription and splicing to translation, began in a simpler time – when we talked about “RNA” and hadn’t yet recognized the whole range of RNA species, including miRNAs, ncRNAs, and more. These days, we are learning as much about the epigenetic modification of RNA and the role […]