Taking “CoRSIV” Writing from Short Notes to “Novel” Epigenetic Findings in Disease RiskJanuary 30, 2023Previously, a perfectly-penned study uncovered a type of DNA methylation variation “written” in the genome, which varies from person to person but remains consistent across tissues. Deciphering these “CoRSIV” (correlated regions of systemic interindividual variation) notes supported a deeper understanding of epigenetic variance and the impact on disease, with blood DNA methylation profiles from these […]
Active DNA Demethylation as a Source of DNA Damage at EnhancersJanuary 3, 2023Paint a self-portrait, build a house? If, instead, your more achievable New Year’s resolution was to be more active, new and exciting findings on how the abundance of single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs) at neuronal enhancers represents an intermediate of active DNA demethylation will be right down your alley! Researchers led by Wei Wu and André […]
eBook: Epigenetics & DNA MethylationNovember 21, 2022One of the longest-known and most studied epigenetic markers is DNA methylation, which can regulate gene expression and genomic organization in nearly all organisms. In eukaryotes, the primary modification of DNA is found in cytosines (C), where DNA Methyltransferases mediate the transfer of a methyl group to cytosines, converting them to 5-methylcytosine (5-mC), minor modifications […]
Placental Proxies: A Shared DNA Methylation Profile Between cffDNA and BrainSeptember 27, 2022When you’re looking to access the latest and greatest publications, your VPN is the proxy you need. But now, there’s a new proxy in town to help with your quest for neurodevelopmental epigenetic information: Placenta and the cell free fetal DNA (cffDNA) that originates from it. A dynamic duo of papers from the lab of Janine LaSalle (UC Davis […]
RNA Methylation and DNA Demethylation Teamwork Make the Transcriptional Dream WorkSeptember 25, 2022Dream teams come in all shapes and sizes, from the 1970 Brazil football team to the Mercedes F1 team of the 2010s. A new epigenetic alliance formed between RNA methylation and DNA demethylation recently made its competitive debut and now shows how teamwork makes the dream work! A synergistic team led by Dongxin Lin, Jian […]
eBook: Epigenetics of COVID-19September 22, 2022COVID-19 has been one of the biggest public health issues in recent history and has changed the daily lives of almost everyone on the planet. Many researchers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have been working around the clock since the novel coronavirus outbreak started to try to develop new tools to test for and treat the […]
Multiomic Face-off Finds the Factors that Lead to Look-alikes!September 6, 2022Have you ever heard of someone bumping into their doppelgänger and wondered how the forces of biology conspired to make two unrelated people look alike? In a recent study, a few familiar faces took advantage of a photographer’s keen eye and a multiomic “face-off” to find those factors that lead two strangers to look alike! […]
eBook: Single-cell Methods in Epigenetics and GenomicsAugust 24, 2022Single-Cell methodologies can be the most comprehensive way to identify cell subpopulations with different transcriptome and epigenetic profiles within complex samples, eliminating the need for isolation strategies like FACS or magnetic sorting that could alter the biology due to sample manipulation. These methods are proving to be invaluable for Identifying novel cells that modulate response […]
Novel Multiomic Epigenetic Clock May Decipher How Epigenetic Aging Impacts Cell FunctionAugust 23, 2022Timely advances have demonstrated that significant changes to DNA methylation levels accompany the creaking knees, failing eyes, and changing tastes in music (!) associated with the human aging process. A well-timed study now builds upon these past studies to describe a multiomic-based approach with the potential to forge links between epigenetic aging and the gene […]
No Cells? No Problem! How Cell-Free DNA Methylation Profiles May Guide Cancer ManagementAugust 20, 2022When set the monumental task of studying how the epigenetic mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis, isolating a cell sample usually represents your first analytical port of call; however, research now suggests that liquid biopsies of a patient’s blood may provide a wealth of information from cell-free DNA. Furthermore, widening this approach to DNA methylation analysis may also […]
