Environmental enrichment stimulates neural 5hmC dynamicsSeptember 17, 2014Judging from the luxurious lifestyles of the rich and famous, it would seem there’s no denying the wonders of an enriched environment. Even at an epigenetic scale, enhancing your environment properly and with a bit of personal restraint leads to improvements in the brain aplenty, including learning and memory. A team from Emory University characterized the […]
Rewiring Stem Cell Transcriptional CircuitrySeptember 12, 2014It seems all that was needed for human stem cells to maintain their pluripotent state, was just a little transcriptional rewiring. This cellular circuitry wasn’t handled by a master electrician though, but rather a group of Cambridge area researchers. A collaboration involving the Babraham Institute, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute, led […]
Webinar: “Precision Mapping”- High Resolution Mapping using ChIP-exoSeptember 12, 2014“Precision Mapping” – High Resolution Mapping Using ChIP-exo Presented by: Bryce Alves Ph.D., Research Scientist at Active Motif Abstract: Transcriptional regulation is a complex mechanism that involves changes in epigenetic modifications, transcription factors and cofactors, and chromatin structure. Loss of controlled transcription is often found in various human diseases, such as what is seen in […]
Keep DNA Methylation Experiments in Check with These ControlsSeptember 12, 2014Specially designed DNA standards and controls may not be flashy, but they are essential for correct experimental design and successful data analysis and without that, you’re going to be struggling to nab that next big publication. But don’t worry, with the proper controls you’ll be able to pinpoint experimental issues with laser precision, not to […]
Hints for Optimizing Bisulfite Primer DesignSeptember 12, 2014The bisulfite conversion experts from Zymo Research have put together a killer guide on the ins and outs of amplifying bisulfite treated DNA. EpiGenie got an exclusive, advanced peek at some of the content that we are sharing with our readers. In this section, they provide some helpful advice on the art of bisulfite primer […]
450K Hacked: ox-BS Gives Away 5hmC’s secretsSeptember 5, 2014Differentiating between DNA’s celebrity cytosine bases can be harder than remembering all the ‘celebrities’ caught in hollywood’s latest photo leak. But have no fear, because oxidative bisulfite conversion (ox-BS) is here to save the day in a reduced representation way. Normally, bisulfite conversion doesn’t produce a difference in readout between 5mC and 5hmC, but ox-BS overcomes this by treating the DNA […]
Tumors Go Minimalist with DNA Methylation BlocksAugust 26, 2014It seems that cancer is joining the minimalist trend, and has recently been caught sporting a universal and distinct DNA methylation signature. A talented team from John Hopkins lead by epi-gurus Andrew Feinberg and Rafael Irizarry show that large hypomethylated blocks are a defining feature in a number of different human solid tumors. These hypomethylated blocks also […]
Alzheimer Disease Gets Brain Region Specific EWASAugust 17, 2014Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) appear to be the natural evolution of GWAS that has given neuroscience a epigenomic renaissance. Jonathan Mill and team from the University of Exeter Medical School and King’s College London have shown that sometimes it’s best to cover all angles and in their latest report(s) offer up some new epigenetic targets for studying the neuroscience of Alzheimer […]
Online Stem Cell Diploma from University of Ulster 2014August 13, 2014The University of Ulster is offering an entirely online, postgraduate diploma course in Stem Cell Biology and it’s starting soon. The course is designed to allow students to break into, or advance in a career in the stem cell field. They’ve assembled a panel of international stem cell industry experts advising on the course content […]
The Embryonic Journey of DNA Methylation DynamicsAugust 5, 2014Two recent Nature papers made big strides in understanding mammalian embryonic DNA methylation. The Meissner and Eggan team from Harvard focused in on CpG dynamics and how they compare to mice, specifically in terms of parental contribution. While the Qian and Tang team from Bejing examined how DNAm effects the epigenetic embryonic landscape in terms of histone […]
