dCas9-Suntag-DNMT3A Outshines the Off-Target Effects of Direct dCas9-DNMT3A FusionsJune 25, 2018While even a technology with a future as bright as epigenome editing can have its cold day in the sun, the Suntag system has just cleared the clouds over a growing pain of epigenetic editing: the global off-target effects of dCas9-DNMT3A direct fusion constructs. To cure our epigenetic editing blues, the lab of Ryan Lister […]
Single-Cell Epigenetics of Human Embryos is No Longer too Cool for scCOOL-seq!June 24, 2018The single cells of the developing human embryo are kinda awesome, but maybe they’ve grown a tad arrogant, perhaps a little “too cool for school”? They always hang around alone or in small cliques of similar cells, while the hippest scientists have only recently developed techniques, such as scNOMe-seq and scNMT-seq, trendy enough to begin […]
Causation or Correlation? – First Evidence that DNA Methylation Alterations Cause AgingJune 17, 2018We all assume that water, good old H2O, has nothing to hide; however, dihydrogen monoxide has more than a few skeletons in its closet. For example, water is the leading cause of drowning while 100 percent of all people exposed to water will eventually die! It is easy to chalk up the second of these […]
Eyesight from the Blind: DNA Methylation Causes Cavefish Eye DegenerationJune 11, 2018While we are no strangers to the role of epigenetics in environmental adaption, the lab of Brant Weinstein at the National Institute of Health (Maryland, USA) has brought forth an example of environmental adaption so extreme that it provides profound insight into eye degeneration and blindness. The talented team chose to examine the Mexican tetra […]
eBook: Aging and EpigeneticsJune 8, 2018This eBook explores various levels at which aging and epigenetics are related. Assembled are summaries of studies exploring specific questions regarding the epigenetic basis of aging and aging-related conditions. They are divided into four chapters: 1. DNA Methylation Epigenetic Clock 2. Anti-aging 3. Alzheimer’s Disease 4. Stem Cells
Keeping it CLASSY with RNA-directed DNA Methylation in ArabidopsisMay 22, 2018There’s many ways to keep it classy, and while the recent Royal Wedding has demonstrated that some families illustrate their style with an eclectic taste for hats and fascinators, the CLASSY family of chromatin remodeling factors has just out-classed them with its chromatin tastes that shape RNA-directed DNA methylation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, RNA Pol-IV triggers […]
Sea Snails Thank RNA-induced DNA Methylation for the Long-term Memories!May 16, 2018Forget everything you know about memories (!) because a new study has turned our knowledge regarding memory formation on its head by showing the ability to transfer memories from animal-to-animal! Current dogma states that learning-induced modifications of synaptic connections underlie the storage of our long-term memory (LTM); however, recent studies have suggested that neuron cell […]
Snord116 Keeps DNA Methylation’s Circadian Rhythm Ticking in the BrainMay 10, 2018Sunrise, Sunset. The tempo of a day can quickly pass us by while filling our brain with all epigenetics has to offer. But whether our brains are aware of it or not, with each sunrise and sunset comes a rhythmic genome-wide DNA methylation profile. To gain insight into exactly what makes our brain’s rhythmically tick, […]
Two Barcodes, One DNA Fragment: Budget-Friendly Single-Cell Whole-Genome Bisulfite SequencingApril 29, 2018While single-cell whole-genome bisulfite sequencing is rapidly evolving, the associated price tag hasn’t been quite as dynamic. This lack of dynamism is primarily because current single-cell whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (scWGBS) methods are limited by the need to process each cell in individual reaction vessels and also low alignment rates. These limitations mean a high (financial) […]
Transposons and DNA Methylation Learn to Get AlongApril 26, 2018A lot of things just don’t mix well, dogs and cats, oil and water, and as most geneticists would agree, transposons and DNA methylation. DNA methylation is the mortal enemy of transposon activity; across the tree of life it has a conserved role silencing transposable elements from plants, to algae, to vertebrates. This suggests DNA […]
