Epigenetics & Cancer & Gene Networks …Oh Me(thylation)!November 15, 2013Now that we’ve landed smack dab in the middle of the age of big data, some interesting techniques have emerged to interrogate the mind-boggling amounts of information from our (epi)genome. Dr. Ranjan Perera and team at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Florida) applied some of that new analysis wizardry to learn more about the complexity of […]
Methylcytosine Makes its Mark on RNA MethylationNovember 6, 2013Methylcytosine – It’s not just for DNA anymore. Despite being almost exclusively associated with DNA for decades, methylcytosine (5mC) has recently been shown to be an important base modification in RNA as well. Exploding interest in the RNA version of 5mC, what it does, and how it works, has been sparked by a sharp uptick […]
DNA Methylation Age Prediction Confirms that EpiGenie Staff are Past their PrimeNovember 5, 2013Getting old stinks; literally actually, at least in the EpiGenie office, where the pungent aroma of sports creme lingers the day after softball night. Dr. Steve Horvath (UCLA) published a doozy of a paper, DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types, in Genome Biology recently that caught mainstream media attention from hacks like us to […]
DNA Methylation in Gene Activation with Dr. Robert WaterlandNovember 5, 2013Dr. Robert Waterland discusses how 3′ CpG island methylation may function as a key developmental activator of gene expression. This interview was shot at the Keystone Symposia’s meeting on Nutrition, Epigenetics and Human Disease, 2013 held in Santa Fe, New Mexico 3′ CpG Island Methylation in Gene Activation Another really interesting project thatI’ve been involved with […]
Enhancer Transcribed RNAs No Longer Just Second Banana to PromotersOctober 24, 2013Enhancer regions are starting to come into their own as important members of the epigenome – way more than just add-ons that increase promoter transcription. A new study shows us that the RNA world just won’t stop expanding. Drs. Rao and Yuan from the Blood Center of Wisconsin and Harvard, along with a talented team […]
Intergenerational Epigenetic Inheritance with Dr. Elizabeth RadfordOctober 22, 2013Dr. Elizabeth Radford discusses some of the latest trends in intergenerational epigenetic inheritance. This interview was shot at the Keystone Symposia’s meeting on Nutrition, Epigenetics and Human Disease, 2013 held in Santa Fe, New Mexico Intergenerational Epigenetic Inheritance We’re collaborating with Mary-Elizabeth Patti who works at Harvard, and she has a mouse model where they undernourish […]
DNMT1-interacting RNAs (DiRs): DIY Methylation for the Locus that has EverythingOctober 18, 2013The holidays are just around the corner, but the gifts are arriving early as a talented crew of epigenetics enthusiasts published some great work in Nature last week that suggests some RNA transcripts have more self control than a Jedi. Look out Luke, these under appreciated RNAs fit DNMT1 like a glove, and block local DNA methylation. […]
We are the 98%: Intergenic Regions (Finally) Get Some BuzzOctober 11, 2013Many chose to focus on the ‘wealthy’ two percent of our genome that produces protein, but we’ve always found the other 98% to be much more interesting. Thankfully, we’re past the days of referring to non-coding, intergenic regions as ‘Junk DNA’, and new research is proving how scientifically rich they really are. Dr. Emily Hodges […]
A Crash Course in Folate, Nutrition, and DNA Methylation Regulation with Dr. Patrick StoverOctober 10, 2013Dr. Patrick Stover, PhD, the Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, provides a great overview of the key role of folate in one-carbon metabolism, and DNA methylation in nutrition. Folate, Nutrition, and DNA Methylation Regulation There’s a long history in the whole field of folate metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, that outcomes […]
R-Loops and GC-skew Predicts Epigenetic Effects of CpG IslandsOctober 9, 2013With the EpiGenie Fortune Telling Machine in the shop most of the time, it’s pretty difficult for us to predict much of anything. (Yeah, we didn’t see the whole ‘twerking’ phenomenon coming either!) But some enterprising researchers have developed a way to classify and predict the epigenetic and transcriptional activities of various promoter regions based […]
