Enhancer Hypomethylation in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Paves the Way for Cell DeathJune 15, 2019When it comes to understanding the epigenetics of aging, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has enhanced our knowledge in countless ways. This neurodegenerative disease has taught us to embrace healthy aging, and some surprising players have emerged from the examination of DNA methylation. Studies have uncovered a role for enhancers in AD; however, investigations into the consequences of DNA methylation at these […]
New Epigenetic Clock Offers an Evolutionary Conserved View of Aging Through Ribosomal DNA MethylationApril 27, 2019With updates and novel iterations to the “epigenetic clock” occurring at a pace faster than our smartwatches, it’s about time a new player emerged in the world of epigenetic clocks. Not only can these specialist timepieces keep track of our chronological age, but they can also tell us how environmental factors affect the pace of […]
Reactivating “Fossil” Enhancers from Embryonic Development in Adult TissuesApril 10, 2019The Jurassic Park movies got the whole world excited about resurrecting dinosaurs from fossilized DNA, but more recent findings that the half-life of DNA is only 521 years mean that dream is science fiction. So, while the finer details of dinosaur genomes may be lost in the fossil record, new work has dug up epigenomic […]
Inflammation in the Information Age: Multi-Tissue Chromatin and Transcriptional States of Mammalian AgingMarch 26, 2019We’re living in the information age―the age of supercomputers, big data, and machine learning―and the epigenetics field is capitalizing on these capabilities. New research from the lab of Anne Brunet at Stanford University harnesses the power of the ‘information age’ to provide insight on the ‘inflammation age’―that is, changes in the epigenetic landscape that lead […]
eBook: Aging and EpigeneticsJune 8, 2018This eBook explores various levels at which aging and epigenetics are related. Assembled are summaries of studies exploring specific questions regarding the epigenetic basis of aging and aging-related conditions. They are divided into four chapters: 1. DNA Methylation Epigenetic Clock 2. Anti-aging 3. Alzheimer’s Disease 4. Stem Cells
EpiTOF Histone Modification Analysis Reveals How Aging Cells Grow Apart!May 9, 2018Some say that all babies look the same – small, warm bags of tears and mayhem – with significant differences only appearing as we grow older and grow apart from our newborn brethren (and sistren!). Our burgeoning epigenome may react to aging in a very similar manner, with age-related losses and gains of DNA methylation combining […]
TERRA lncRNA Tailors a Trimethylation Trio at TelomeresApril 27, 2018A good tailor will make any scientist look presentable in an expensive suit or a glitzy dress (when we escape the confines of a lab coat) and now, the group of Maria A. Blasco (CNIO, Madrid, Spain) describes how long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) tailor our telomeric DNA with just enough trimethylated histones to suit any […]
If You Snooze, You Lose: DNA Methylation Loss at Late Replicating Regions Tracks Cellular AgingApril 13, 2018“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise!” While many night owls happily ignore this sage advice and enjoy a few extra hours in bed in the mornings, a new study regarding DNA methylation dynamics in normal and cancer cells gives credence to the old axiom “If you snooze, […]
A Long non-coding RNA Superhero is GUARDIN our Genome from DNA Damage!April 4, 2018Batman swoops through Gotham, Supergirl flies over National City, and the Black Panther keeps his keen eyes on Wakanda; every superhero acts as a guardian of the beloved place they call home, protecting from any number of devious and dastardly threats. Now, researchers from the laboratory of Xu Dong Zhang and Mian Wu (Henan Provincial […]
Embrace Your Age! Age-related H4K16ac Gains Protect Your Brain from Developing Alzheimer’s DiseaseMarch 19, 2018In our quest for the fountain of youth, we often find ourselves attracted to anything that will fight off the signs of aging. But now, the first genome-wide analysis of a specific histone modification in the brains of human patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) demonstrates that we should embrace the epigenetic changes that come […]
