Methylation Separates Men from MonkeysJanuary 21, 2014While we may share ‘99% of our genes’ with chimps, some cutting edge research has shown that when it comes to evolution, taking the stance of pure genetic determinism may just make a monkey out of you. The gene bringing today’s lesson? CNTNAP2, one of nature’s largest, with a role in human-specific language abilities and […]
Choline Metabolism, DNA Methylation, and Memory with Dr. Steven ZeiselJanuary 20, 2014Dr. Steven Zeisel discusses how maternal intake of choline effects DNA methylation during development, and can lead to better memory. This interview was shot at the Keystone Symposia’s meeting on Nutrition, Epigenetics and Human Disease, 2013 held in Santa Fe, New Mexico Choline Metabolism, DNA Methylation, and Memory So I’m more and more believing that epigenetics […]
Epigenetic Love Triangle of Testicular CancerJanuary 20, 2014Politics makes for strange bedfellows, and now it seems, so does testicular cancer. According to recent research, a trio of vastly different mechanisms all contribute to a carcinogenic epigenetic chain of events involving DNAm, retroviruses, and PIWI/piRNA machinery. PIWI proteins are an Argonaute family protein subclass and have little RNA buddies known as small regulatory PIWI-interacting […]
A DNA Methylation Based Allergy Test is Nothing to Sneeze AtJanuary 14, 2014Putting the Polar Vortex’s deep freeze behind us, we can start looking forward to Spring and all it’s environmental luxuries, like sunshine, blooming flowers…and allergies. Seasonal hayfever is a fact of life for many, but scientists have now developed a way to use DNA methylation in CD4+ T-Cells to predict who’s at risk. According to […]
DNA Methylation: The Original Anti-Virus ProgramJanuary 8, 2014Security and anti-virus software is a must-have accessory for the internet age, but it turns out that DNA methylation has been protecting us all from retroviral infections for quite a bit longer than any computer program. A talented research team lead by Richard Meehan from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) applied HELP-seq analysis and DNA methylation […]
Tet Finally Gets Caught in the DNA Demethylation ActJanuary 8, 2014If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then X-ray crystallography is more like a Game of Thrones novel. The same technology that gave us the double helix structure of DNA way back in the groovy days of genetics has now captured images of Tet doing its demethylation dance with DNA in Naegleria. Xiaodong Cheng and […]
Decrypting Transcription with Dr. Frank GrosveldJanuary 7, 2014Dr. Frank Grosveld points out how little we actually know about the details of transcription and the molecular machinery involved. Transcription Factories We have this loop structure of the genome. And at the same time, we know that every gene that’s being transcribed, that’s active, is part of what we call transcription factories. So […]
Decitabine Scores a Cancer Therapy ‘Hat Trick’January 7, 2014The cancer treatment field scored a nice win to kick off 2014. Past studies have hinted that epigenome modifying drugs show great potential in the clinic, but new findings from Kunle Odunsi and team at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York has demonstrated that a combinatorial approach using Decitabine (a DNA ‘demethylater’) and […]
Epigenetic Technology: 2013 Editor’s FavoritesDecember 18, 2013In 2013, technology impacted nearly every facet of our lives: from improving Instagram selfies, to squeezing even more knowledge from epigenetics research. Check out some of our favorite Technology features from the past year: Genome Editing We love the potential of Genome Editing. Led by methods like CRISPR-Cas, this emerging field has really boomed this […]
Epigenetics 101: You Can’t Always Blame Your Parents with Alberto PerezDecember 17, 2013EpiGenie reader Dr. Albert Perez lays out some of the basic concepts behind epigenetics, and explains how being a red-head in Spain started him on a path to explore DNA and the epigenome.
