Know Your Enemy: Understanding Malaria Infection via Epigenome EditingJanuary 11, 2019Sun Tzu’s ancient Chinese military treatise “The Art of War” placed knowing your enemy on a par with knowing yourself when facing battle. These wise words still resound today in the lab of Lubin Jiang (Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China) where researchers have employed CRISPR/Cas9 epigenome editing to forge a […]
Embryo Survival Provides a New Path towards DNA Methylation Signatures of Prenatal AdversityJanuary 3, 2019While some research takes us down well-worn paths, some scientists like to dust off their hiking shoes and take the road less traveled! This includes researchers led by Bastiaan Heijmans (Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands), Tobias Uller (Lund University, Sweden), and L.H. Lumey (Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA), whose collaborative work aims […]
Tune in to Genetically and Environmentally Tunable Polymorphic Imprinting with nc886December 10, 2018While tuning into signals is the name of the game for (epi)genomics, an exciting new study now suggests that genetic and environmental factors can tune our epigenomes by polymorphic genomic imprinting. Unlike other imprinted genes that always display monoallelic methylation, the nc886 DMR is polymorphic and imprinted in only ~75% of people. New research into this […]
It’s All in the Phylum: Lessons on Epigenetic Lineage From an Ancient RelativeDecember 6, 2018You won’t find amphioxus listed as close relative on 23andMe, but this humble invertebrate chordate may have paved the way for the successful vertebrates we’ve become. Although amphioxus split from the vertebrates over 500 million years ago on the phylogenetic tree, it still can offer some clues as to how vertebrates acquired such unique and […]
Stella is the Star that Prevents Aberrant DNA Methylation During OogenesisDecember 4, 2018The mammalian zygote is a platform for a multi-act show of dramatic rises and falls in DNA methylation. However, new research suggests that backstage, in the developing oocyte, resides the real star of the show: Stella. Stella oversees the complex choreography of DNA methyltransferases and the supporting cast to make sure the right cues are […]