There’s nothing tongue in cheek when it comes to the consideration of buccal cell heterogeneity in sample collections methods. Although buccal epithelial cells are the target given their relationship with the brain DNA methylome, immune cells come along for the ride. As the lab of Jeffery Craig (Deakin University, Australia) has previously shown, buccal epithelial cell sample collection […]
- Ben Laufer
An Oliver’s Twist on an Old Tale: Orphan CpGs Will Have You Asking for More
Move over Oliver Twist, there’s a new orphan in town to satisfy our hunger for stories of DNA methylation. Two new tales of orphan CpGs help them find a home in our hearts and epigenomes through the application of cutting-edge epigenomics techniques and genetic engineering to embryonic stem cells and neuronal cells. Making the Right Connections: […]
Methylation’s Moonlighting Mysteries: DNMT3L’s Divergent Roles in Down Syndrome
By daylight, DNA methyltransferase 3L (DNMT3L) takes on the modest role of a catalytically inactive but stimulatory binding partner for its more popular methyltransferase siblings (DNMT3A and DNMT3B). But, when the sun goes down, DNMT3L gives new meaning to protein moonlighting. DNMT3L is located on chromosome 21, which has made it a prime candidate for the Down syndrome […]
Low-Pass WGBS of Newborn Dried Blood Spots: A Methylome-Wide Role for the RUNX1 Super-Enhancer in Down Syndrome
While collecting blood spots may seem like a hobby best left for a TV serial killer like Dexter Morgan, a novel low-pass whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) approach has shown that newborn dried blood spots are more than just a trophy. Their entire methylome can be assayed to answer enticing epigenomic enigmas. DNA methylation array studies have […]
X Marks the Spot for Neurodevelopment in the Autism Spectrum Disorder Cord Blood Methylome
Every good pirate knows that X marks the spot on their treasure map, but what’s one to do when it’s surrounded by the dangers of uncharted territory? Thankfully, when it comes to the unexplored regions of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) DNA methylome, whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) has illuminated the way to the X chromosome […]