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 […]
Heterochromatin Finds an Alternative Way to Lengthen TelomeresJune 15, 2019We recently advised our readers to “think different” when it came to the epigenetic control of maintenance in alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) cells, and now, a team of “out-of-the-box” thinkers from the lab of Jérôme Déjardin (Université de Montpellier, France) have described an unconventional link between ALT and telomeric heterochromatin formation. Previous results have […]
SETing up SETD2 as a Key Player in Oocyte DevelopmentJune 5, 2019While we’ve been fascinated by how epigenetic alterations during development SET the stage for adult life, in order to fully understand this relationship, we also have to examine how the stage for the development is SET by our epigenome. The epigenome of the oocyte is reprogrammed during early embryonic development; however, some marks remain at […]
Astronomical Findings from the NASA Twin Study on the Effects of Space FlightMay 6, 2019Identical twins are known for having some pretty out of this world similarities. Picking the same clothes, feeling the other’s pain, and often going into the same careers. The latter is true for Mark and Scott Kelly, monozygotic twins who also both happen to have been trained as astronauts. Twins are a favorite model system […]
The Relationship Between CTCF and DNA Methylation? It’s Complicated…April 16, 2019Everyone knows one of those couples who keeps getting together and breaking up, as if they’re trying to decide how much they like each other. Well the chromatin architectural protein CTCF and DNA methylation have one of those relationships, and it just got more complicated! For years, we’ve been trying to decipher whether DNA methylation always prevents […]
Sugar Sticks it to Histones and Causes Problems for Chromatin ArchitectureApril 15, 2019Many of us have been lectured by our dentist about eating those delicious, sticky candies. Now, as it turns out, those cavity-causing sugars not only stick to your teeth but can stick to your histones too! Through a non-enzymatic process known as glycation, a glucose group is covalently attached to specific amino acids, which can […]
Histone Demethylases Have a “Sixth Sense” about Oxygen Levels!April 7, 2019Many people make dubious claims of being endowed with more than the five traditionally recognized senses; their “sixth sense” providing the extrasensory perception needed to converse with spirits and ghosts and predict the future, among other fanciful claims. While there is a lack of any evidence for extrasensory powers and paranormal activity, robust studies have […]
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 […]
Histone Methylation Has a New Sidekick and Its Name is Serotonin!March 17, 2019Watch out epigenomic evil-doers, histone H3 has a new sidekick to help it keep gene regulation in shape. By day, serotonin can be found in its traditional role as a neurotransmitter; being released by cells of the nervous system and binding to specific receptors to impact a wide range of functions, from cognition to gut motility. […]
Think Different – Alternatively Spliced Histone Variant Points to Epigenetic Control of Telomere LengtheningMarch 12, 2019While many prefer matters to be straightforward, some prefer to think “outside the box” and conjure up an alternative to the norm. Cancer cells are much the same; while most remain on the straight and narrow and employ the telomerase holoenzyme complex to maintain their telomeres, a significant fraction go their own way and use […]
