Do the laundry? Check. Buy fabric softener? Got it. Write that next manuscript? Working on it… We’ve all got a lot on our to-do lists these days, but it’s nothing compared to the checklist that developing drosophila embryos have to contend with. On top of coordinating histone methylation marks, they’ve got to prepare for a […]
- Chromatin
Filling in the Blanks: DNA Methylation-Dependent Glycosylation of Chromatin Modifiers Represses Transcription
You might think our portrait of the marks that make up the epigenetic landscape is nearing completion, but a new feature is now filling in some of the blank space behind a key regulatory mechanism. It has been long known that DNA methylation represses transcription via the recruitment of methylation-dependent repressive factors. The components of […]
Early-Life BPA Exposure Accelerates Epigenetic Aging and Creates a Ticking Timebomb for Metabolic Disease that a Western Diet Ignites
While we hope that any silly errors and childish pranks of our formative years don´t follow us into adulthood, it now seems that certain experiences during early development are indeed carried into adulthood without our knowledge, where an activating trigger can lead to trouble and strife! Specifically, exposure to any number of environmental stressors during […]
Disrupted LADs Drive Epigenetic Alterations in Human Early-onset Aging
The “driver” represents a crucial part of a successful Formula One team, a decent score at golf, and even a well-planned bank heist (!), and working out those factors that drive the onset of various diseases and disorders may provide critical mechanistic insight and even aid the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In the early-onset […]
Distant Genomic Regions Meet at DNA Methylation Grand Canyons
CpG islands have been the best-known tourist destination in the epigenome for a long time, but if you’re looking for a change there’s a destination that all the rage: DNA methylation grand canyons. It is well known that DNA methylation at CpG islands is associated with transcriptional repression. However, the precise molecular mechanism linking DNA […]