Microfluidic ChIP Makes a Few Cells Go a Long WaySeptember 11, 2015Chromatin immunoprecipitation (or ChIP) is a handy technique to study epigenetic profiles, but only if you have enough cells. The main problem with ChIP is that it can be a “greedy” technique that uses large numbers of cells while giving back the bare minimum of DNA as a result. This is problematic for the study of genome-wide […]
Custom-Made Histone Modifications Add Some Bling to ChromatinSeptember 11, 2015Sure, the new Apple products announced this week represented new breakthroughs and yes, you’ll be able to personalize these devices with countless modifications like cases, color and screens. The real action though, was unfolding (pun intended) in the world of chromatin analysis as a new method surfaced for introducing tags or native modifications into histones (or any other […]
Stem Cells Cycle their Way towards DifferentiationAugust 31, 2015Genes that code for some developmental regulators in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) might be excused if they seem a little confused. The regulatory signals they receive from their enveloping histone environment are a combination of “Stop!” and “Go!” signals for their transcription. Although this seems counterintuitive, this combination of modifications, known as a bivalent domain, […]
ChIPmentation: The Next Fast and Low-Input ChIP-seq SensationAugust 25, 2015ChIP-Seq is the bread and butter of histone and transcription factor research. It has seen countless modifications to allow it to perform under all the variables biology can throw at it, but with that specialization has come limitations to generalization. Now the methodological maestros in the lab of Christoph Bock, which brought us single-cell methylome sequencing, […]
Webinar: Multiplex Profiling of Epigenetic Modifications – Measuring Assay Specific & Off-target Effects in the Same SampleJuly 29, 2015Abstract: A variety of epigenetic modifications including post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histone tails regulate gene expression and have profound effects on cell signaling and human disease. N-terminal histone tails can have a variety of modifications, such as phosphorylation, methylation and acetylation at specific amino acid residues which are conserved throughout eukaryotes and function by altering chromatin […]
Webinar: Key Steps for Validating Antibodies and Optimizing the ChIP WorkflowJuly 27, 2015Abstract: Research in the field of epigenetics has grown at a rapid pace since the discovery of the first histone acetyltransferase enzymes 18 years ago. Since then, significant advances have been made in our understanding of the basic mechanisms of epigenetics (histone acetylation, histone methylation, chromatin remodeling and DNA methylation) and the impact of epigenetic […]
Book Review: Epigenetics – Current Research and Emerging TrendsJuly 2, 2015Edited by Brian P. Chadwick and composed of 17 chapters from thought leaders in academia and industry, this is one text you don’t want to miss. It covers a wide breadth of topics ranging from DNA methylation to Chromatin to ncRNA, with insight from across the tree of life and related human disorders. The perspective […]
Webinar: Advanced ChIP Normalization ControlsJune 17, 2015Abstract: Gene expression is regulated by a combination of transcription factor binding and the distribution of epigenetic modifications across regulatory regions. Much of what we know about the epigenome and gene regulation stems from our ability to determine the genome-wide distribution of histone modifications and transcription factors using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next generation sequencing […]
A TAD of Disruption Shows the Importance of BoundariesJune 1, 2015If you’ve ever seen a polydactyl cat you might (understandably) live in fear of cats with thumbs. If we want to prevent the takeover by our feline friends we need to understand the cause of this limb anomaly. Luckily, researchers led by Stefan Mundlos have done just that by asking if 3D chromosome structure data […]
Could Chromatin Organization be the Key to Eternal Youth?May 13, 2015For thousands of years great men such as Alexander the Great and Ponce de León have searched far and wide in their search for the fountain of youth and the hope of eternal life. But where they previously failed, an enterprising group of scientists may have now just succeeded! A report published recently in Science […]
