Tea Beats Coffee as a DNA Methylation Caffeine Fix in WomenJune 10, 2017There’s no denying that caffeine fuels epigenetic discovery, but now a recent epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) offers up a different epigenetic perspective about your daily caffeine fix. This creative rush comes at you from a European collaboration led by Uppsala University (Sweden). The team brewed up the first epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of coffee and […]
DNA Methylation is a Plus for Many Transcription FactorsJune 6, 2017When it comes to transcription factor binding, DNA methylation has a reputation as a trouble maker. When most people think of DNA methylation, they think of it blocking proteins from being able to bind. But does it deserve the bad rap? Though there are some examples of DNA methylation promoting binding of certain transcription factors […]
Drive the LINE: H4K20me3 Beats DNA Methylation at LINE-1 Chimeric Transcripts in Colorectal CancerApril 10, 2017The drivers of gene expression maintain a fragile balance that tends to cross the LINE in cancer. LINE-1s are transposable elements full of both mystery and regulatory potential. Within their 5’ untranslated region (UTR) lies a bidirectional promoter (L1-5’UTR) that consists of a sense promoter (L1-SP), which transcribes the element, and an antisense promoter (L1-ASP), which […]
CLEVER Technique Maps the 5-Formylcytosine Landscape during DNA DemethyationMarch 31, 2017Mapping an undulating, dynamic, and partially hidden landscape represents a vexing problem to say the least, especially when the landmarks of interest are rare DNA demethylation by-products in a single cell! This is the task faced by those intrepid explorers hoping to map the genome-wide location of 5-formylcytosine (5fC), a fleetingly rare oxidized form of […]
Gene Body DNA Methylation Keeps Cells Fit and HealthyMarch 9, 2017Boots, check! Helmet, check! DNA Methylation, check? Any active individual will tell you that protecting your body is an integral part of keeping fit and healthy while enjoying your sport of choice. In the über-competitive world of DNA, a study from the teams of Francesco Neri and Salvatore Oliviero has proposed that DNA methylation on […]
Single and Ready to Mingle: Single-Cell Bisulfite Sequencing Gives Up Its Intimate SecretsMarch 9, 2017Ever fancy a go with a new technique only to find that the methods section of the paper is holding out on the most intimate details? While single-cell bisulfite sequencing (scBs-seq) has been lusted after by many a researcher, mingling with those single cells has proved a bit more challenging. But fear not, the labs […]
Optogenetic Epigenetic Editing of DNA Methylation Puts You in Control of Stem Cell FateFebruary 16, 2017In Greek mythology, the fates forge the strings of life that control our lives and choose the moment of its end. We mere mortals yearn for such powers and we are now one step closer to the light thanks to an optogenetic epigenome editing system that lets you write and erase DNA methylation to control […]
Large Chromatin Domains Drive Pancreatic Cancer’s Sugar RushFebruary 14, 2017A sugar rush can fuel many things. It can power the late-night experiments demanded by reviewer number 3 or it can drive tumor evolution. Fueled by both these factors, new insight into the linked metabolic-epigenetic mechanisms of metastasis comes at you from a collaborative effort led by the lab of Andrew Feinberg in the Center […]
Copy Number Variation and Environmental Exposure Unwrap the DNA Methylation Storage Box of AutismDecember 29, 2016Preparing for a big event takes a lot of work; whether it be the holidays or developing a brain’s epigenome, keeping a storage box ready to go for the situation just makes sense. In their latest publication, the lab of Janine LaSalle at the University of California – Davis unwrap the epigenetic storage box of […]
dCas9-Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L Methyltransferase Seeds a Nuclear ReactionDecember 15, 2016Some scientific breakthroughs are so transformative that there’s no containing their spread once they’ve seeded. By engineering cellular nuclear reactions with a biochemical twist, the most powerful deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) methyltransferase explodes from the lab of Tomasz Jurkowski at the University of Stuttgart. The free energy of this reaction forges not only a new tool […]
