The Solution to Stop Stress Susceptibility: Spiny Neuron Histone H3K79me2 ModificationsMarch 29, 2021Many of us dream of a quick fix to being so stressed all the time, and now that reality may not be so far off thanks to the identification of a histone modification behind the life-long effects of early-life stress (ELS). The nucleus accumbens is a brain region important for dopamine signaling and reward behavior. […]
Cancer-associated Histone Mutations Modulate Nucleosome Remodeling to Get That Histone Body Moving!March 26, 2021While any new study mentioning histones generally gets our epigenetic tails wagging, a stunning study into how cancer-associated histone mutations influence nucleosome remodeling has also got our “globular” bodies moving! Although most researchers focus on mutations in the histone tail, most high-frequency cancer-associated mutations actually affect the main “bodies” of the histone proteins (known as […]
AtacWorks: Deep Learning Levels Up ATAC-seq with Graphics Processing UnitsMarch 19, 2021It turns out that those graphics cards in our computers aren’t just great for gaming, they can also push your epigenomic research to the next level. When industry meets academia, we can all win and thanks to an exciting collaboration between the graphics processing unit (GPU) inventors at NVIDIA and the lab of ATAC-seq inventor […]
A Pre-emptive Epigenetic Strike Can Stop Transplants from Going Viral!March 10, 2021While social media mavens may consider “going viral” the zenith of their existence, latent virus reactivation represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant patients. Now, in an extremely “likable” study, a tweetable team of researchers has described how epigenetic inhibitors may be an efficient means of selectively purging viral reservoirs before transplantation […]
Paired-Tag Pairs Up ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq for Single-Cell MultiomicsMarch 2, 2021With Valentines day just behind us, a new genome-wide assay has reinforced the perks of pairing up for single-cells. While multiomic methods have been gaining momentum, it has been tricky for researchers to play matchmaker with ChIP-seq at the single-cell level. To meet this challenge, the lab of Bing Ren at the University of California […]
dCas9-dMSK1 Provides the Potent Power of Programmable Histone PhosphorylationFebruary 20, 2021Time to move over histone methylation, the potent activating power of programmable histone phosphorylation joins the dCas9 epigenome editing toolbox and shows how it takes histone acetylation along for the ride. A rather active team of researchers led by Isaac B. Hilton (Rice University, Houston, TX, USA) knew that phosphorylation represents one of the most […]
It Takes Two to Tango: Histone Serotonylation Partners with H3K4me3 to Regulate Gene ExpressionFebruary 15, 2021While epigenetic research has often linked single histone modifications to transcriptional outputs, new research in neurons now shows that “it takes two to tango” and a little serotonin, classically known as a neurotransmitter, keeps the transcriptional tango going strong. Specifically, a free-stepping study that discovered histone serotonylation previously associated an adjacent enrichment of the lysine […]
Big Things Come in Small Packages: Nanobodies Enter the Epigenetic Editing RingFebruary 4, 2021While we have seen many contenders for the title of heavyweight champion in the epigenetic editing ring, the adage “big things come in small packages” has taken on a new meaning. Nanobodies, or single-domain antibodies, demonstrate that featherweights can pack an explosive epigenetic editing punch by using their opponents’ momentum against them. Researchers led by […]
EpiGo-KRAB: A New, Live-action Tool to Edit and Visualize Heterochromatin Formation in Living ColorJanuary 26, 2021Like any live-action remake, vibrant colors are essential for a new epigenetic editing tool that simultaneously introduces H3K9me3 at hundreds of targeted loci while also allowing for HD visualization of the heterochromatic results. Now, let’s meet the stars of this show that were cast by a team led by Hanhui Ma from ShanghaiTech University. H3K9me3 […]
Sperm Throw “Three-pointers” to Ensure Transgenerational Epigenetic InheritanceJanuary 26, 2021In the game of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, many labs have been searching for a slam dunk. Now, in a game-changing new article, ballers from the laboratory of Michael K. Skinner (Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA) provide a play-by-play of how teamwork between non-coding RNA expression, DNA methylation, and histone modifications allows rat sperm to […]