Are LncRNAs the Future of Non-Invasive Prostate Cancer Testing?October 9, 2014Prostate cancer is the leading cause of mortality in North-American men and as a result many are forced to the clinic for some rather invasive biopsies, but thanks to some cool epigenetics involving lncRNAs, those once dreaded trips to the doctor’s office may soon be replaced a much less invasive urine test. Ranjan Perera and crew […]
Tumors Go Minimalist with DNA Methylation BlocksAugust 26, 2014It seems that cancer is joining the minimalist trend, and has recently been caught sporting a universal and distinct DNA methylation signature. A talented team from John Hopkins lead by epi-gurus Andrew Feinberg and Rafael Irizarry show that large hypomethylated blocks are a defining feature in a number of different human solid tumors. These hypomethylated blocks also […]
5′ UTR miRNA TargetingJuly 21, 2014The nightly news lately makes it seem like the world has gone upside down, and now we’ve got some science to back it. Honglei Zhou and Isidore Rigoutsos from Thomas Jefferson University recently revealed that mammalian miRNA targeting doesn’t always limit itself to 3′ miRNA action. It now seems that in addition to the traditional 3’UTR […]
Keeping Up with the TET Enzyme Family and DNA DemethylationJuly 9, 2014That wacky TET enzyme family is at again, but rather than being caught in some compromising positions with DNA or cheating on Cytosine; this time our favorite enzyme family is slacking off, or as they call it ‘working smart’ and splitting up important active DNA demethylation work. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic provide novel insight into how the TET […]
Webinar: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Getting Reliable ChIP Data From Difficult SamplesJune 19, 2014Johanna Samuelsson Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at Active Motif covers some techniques to get killer data, even when your samples don’t make it easy. ChIP Overview I’m going to talk about chromatin immunoprecipitation, not necessarily focusing on all the specific details, but more the challenges with the technique, and those tricky samples that many of […]
CTCF Prevents Cancerous LandscapesMay 26, 2014This is the time of year to spruce up the garden, but a recent report has us thinking more about a DNA Methylation landscaper: CTCF. Epigenetic marks have long been associated with cancer and resarchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle) have shown that when the epigenetic groundskeepers (i.e. CTCF) are short handed, the epigenetic […]
Webinar: Whole-genome Insights into Cancer as a Dysregulated Epigenome Allowing Cellular Growth Advantage at the Expense of the HostMarch 10, 2014Dr. Andrew Feinberg discusses recent work that has shed new light on the epigenome and it’s role in cancer. Abstract: We and our collaborators have been developing efforts toward whole genome approaches to epigenetic analysis of human disease, including array-based analysis and whole genome bisulfite sequencing. Surprising results have been the discovery of CpG island shores and large hypomethylated […]
Clinical Epigenetics TimelineFebruary 10, 2014The underlying goal for most epigenetic research projects is to eventually lead to a therapeutic clinical application. Here we provide a history of clinical epigenetic advances in this interdisciplinary field as told through our articles and Conference Highlights.
Epigenetics of Cancer TimelineFebruary 9, 2014Epigenetic mechanisms have been studied in cancer for decades. Unfortunately, we haven’t been around that long, but check out these great articles that capture the recent history of epigenetic breakthroughs in cancer.
Epigenetic Love Triangle of Testicular CancerJanuary 20, 2014Politics makes for strange bedfellows, and now it seems, so does testicular cancer. According to recent research, a trio of vastly different mechanisms all contribute to a carcinogenic epigenetic chain of events involving DNAm, retroviruses, and PIWI/piRNA machinery. PIWI proteins are an Argonaute family protein subclass and have little RNA buddies known as small regulatory PIWI-interacting […]
