An Introduction to Epigenetic Editing with Dr. Marianne RotsJune 23, 2014Dr. Marianne Rots, Professor of Molecular Epigenetics and Head of Epigenetic Editing Laboratory at University of Groningen, Netherlands provides an informative overview of the current state of epigenetic editing approaches. Intro to Epigenetic Editing Epigenetic editing exploits the two main characteristics of epigenetics. On the one hand, epigenetic marks are heritable. This means the epigenetic […]
How Fatty Acids Alter the EpigenomeJune 22, 2014It’s is easy to blame our parents and their epigenetics whenever we’re struggling to squeeze into our summer swimwear, but a brand new study illustrates how our own dietary choices have a big impact on health. A team from Lund University have shown just how eating fatty acids is not only bad for your waistline, […]
Webinar: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Getting Reliable ChIP Data From Difficult SamplesJune 19, 2014Johanna Samuelsson Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at Active Motif covers some techniques to get killer data, even when your samples don’t make it easy. ChIP Overview I’m going to talk about chromatin immunoprecipitation, not necessarily focusing on all the specific details, but more the challenges with the technique, and those tricky samples that many of […]
Wild-Type Inheritance of DNA MethylationJune 12, 2014It seems like all news lately is focused on the terrors of the world and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has been no exception, usually with a strong focus on how an exposure or trauma finds a way to haunt generations. But now now an optimistic team from UCLA have shown that a lot can be learned from examining […]
Mechanosensitive DNA Methylation Keeps the Flow GoingJune 12, 2014Going with the flow is a sound strategy unless, of course, something is disturbing that flow. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have shown that when blood flow is disturbed (d-flow) there is a responsive stream of gene expression changes triggered by mechanosensitive DNA methylation. Lead author Jessilyn Dunn shares that “It was […]
5hmU: Tet’s Newest Base on the BlockJune 9, 2014While Apple seems focused on reducing complexity, the epigenome just can’t stop increasing it. Researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich have shown that Tet enzymes oxidize not only the methyl group of methyl-cytosine (mC) but also thymine (T). An analog to the traditional oxidation of 5mC to 5hydroxymethyl-cytosine (5hmC), this case generates hydroxymethyl-uracil (5hmU). By tracing metabolically stable isotopes […]
CTCF Prevents Cancerous LandscapesMay 26, 2014This is the time of year to spruce up the garden, but a recent report has us thinking more about a DNA Methylation landscaper: CTCF. Epigenetic marks have long been associated with cancer and resarchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle) have shown that when the epigenetic groundskeepers (i.e. CTCF) are short handed, the epigenetic […]
lncRNAs Give a Shout Out to Imprinted GenesMay 22, 2014For a while there, it didn’t seem like long non-coding RNAS (lncRNAs) had very much to say on the subject of genomic imprinting. But some new evidence shows that lncRNAs have found their voice, shouting loud and clear as a cross-talk conduit between imprinted regions. Researchers from Hebrew University (Jerusalem) introduced a new concept into […]
DNA Methylation and Diet: A Lot to Chew OnMay 7, 2014Just in time for Mother’s Day, a new published report finds that a mother’s diet at the conception of her child causes life-long epigenetic differences in the metastable epialleles of the child with “permanent phenotypic consequences”. While it may seem that the “you are what you eat” card has been played to death to explain […]
Ancient History as Told by DNA MethylationApril 23, 2014To some people ancient history is anything prior to Facebook, for others, it might mean pre-iPod, but this new study uses DNA methylation to look WAY back in time and analyze the beginnings of human evolution (And yes, that’s before the internet was invented). Using epigenomics to look back into pre-historic times has taught us […]
