The Brain Cell Census: A Deeper Epigenomic Understanding of the Mammalian MainframeNovember 13, 2023If you have epigenetics on the brain like us, concentrate your mammalian mainframe on the recently published marvels on the brain’s epigenome from the NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative – Cell Census Network (BICCN). Recent work brought together under the guise of the Brain Cell Census now reports on the examination […]
Kacme: A New Histone Modification Couples Methylation and Acetylation to Mark Active TranscriptionOctober 23, 2023Some couples seem unlikely, yet somehow, they work (a recent pop star-football player pair comes to mind). Now, an even more surprising couple—a methyl group and an acetyl group—hanging out together on the very same lysine residues on histone H4s has just been spotted across species and appears to be involved in active transcription. Mind. […]
Epigenetic Inheritance During DNA Replication: A State Lying Somewhere Between Symmetry and InstabilityOctober 2, 2023Emerging research has provided evidence for the critical importance of the inheritance of epigenetic states, whether that be DNA methylation, histone modifications, or even non-coding RNAs. Now, three recent studies focusing on the mechanism involved in passing down this information from parental to daughter cells while they replicate their DNA and divide in vitro provide […]
Let It Rain: Droplets Generate Single-Nuclei Multiomes of Either Histone or RNA ModificationsSeptember 25, 2023A downpour of single-cell and single-molecule multiomics methods are prompting us to exclaim, “Let it rain!” We recently told you about a couple of single-molecule epigenetic mapping methods involving chromatin. And now, two new papers show how using a droplet-based microfluidic platform can provide multiomic information about single-cell transcriptomes along with histone modifications or RNA […]
Keeping COVID-19 in the Family – SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reprograms Immune Responses Through Epigenetic MemorySeptember 24, 2023We try to keep exciting research findings in our epigenetic “family,” and a recent article now reports that our stem and immune cells are not so different when it comes to their epigenetic memory of SARS-CoV-2 infection! A new study now describes how SARS-CoV-2-mediated epigenetic reprogramming in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) severely impacts […]
Just Add HiDRO to Figure Out How Genomes Fold in Single CellsSeptember 14, 2023Water hydrates and is essential for life—for plants, humans, and even fish. So, it’s fitting that a new technique called HiDRO takes high-throughput FISH to the next level to identify factors that help genomes fold in 3D at high throughput in single cells. Cohesin helps DNA form loops, which can then form topologically associated domains (TADs). […]
An Evolutionary and Epigenetic Tour-de-force Links DNA Methylation and Mammalian AgingSeptember 11, 2023Have you climbed Mount Everest? Recorded a critically acclaimed album?? Written the great American novel??? These life-affirming feats of body and mind pale into insignificance when compared to the evolutionary and epigenetic tour-de-force reported in two recent papers based on mammalian DNA methylation datasets of colossal size and importance. An expeditionary force led by Steve […]
“Dynamite” Study Uses TNT To Destroy Epigenetic Memories in Human iPSCsSeptember 11, 2023While lingering memories can represent unwelcome guests, destroying them with the power of dynamite may seem like overkill! However, a volatile new study now describes TNT or transient-naïve-treatment as a simple means of ridding human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) of their epigenetic memories and improving their therapeutic potential. An explosive epigenetic team headed by […]
Bringing in “Young Blood” Persistently and Systemically Slows Epigenetic AgingAugust 22, 2023Be it a football team, a book club, or an epigenetics lab, bringing in “young blood” can seriously improve quality in the short term, but does this effect endure? Now, a heterochronic parabiosis study reveals that long-term exposure to young blood induces persistent slowing of DNA methylation-based epigenetic aging and extends healthy lifespans in mice! […]
Altered Chromatin Accessibility Shows Why Aging Stem Cells Don’t Know if They’re Coming or Going!August 13, 2023Once young and carefree, the passing years creep up on us all and bring so many responsibilities and places to be that we don’t know whether we are coming or going! A busy new study shows that the chromatin accessibility and gene expression alterations that occur during aging impact neural stem cells (NSCs) in much […]
