DNA Methylation Addiction Keeps Cancer Cells AliveJune 13, 2012Addictions are so strong that some people think they can’t live without them. For cancer cells, that’s actually the case. Cancer cells’ DNA methylation addiction actually keeps them alive, according to a group of California researchers. Altered DNA methylation is just one of many changes that go down when a cell becomes cancerous. The researchers […]
Epigenetics Book Reviews and Chapter SummariesJune 6, 2012Over the last year EpiGenie has reviewed a couple of the latest epigenetics textbooks for the site. As good citizens of the earth, we of course looked for ways to recycle the books (and the knowledge inside of them) once our writers were done with them. So, we sent our copies out to readers and […]
Nature AND Nurture Both Contribute to DNA MethylationJune 1, 2012A recent pub led by a talented research team might call for a ceasefire in the old “nature vs. nurture” argument. Researchers in The Netherlands and the U.S. say their new study on people conceived or born during the Dutch Famine of 1944-1945 piles on even more evidence that the prenatal environment and your genes […]
Allele-Specific Histone Modifications Frequent Disease LociMay 24, 2012Just as “identical” twins can sometimes have a few noticeable differences (one has a mole on her cheek, the other doesn’t), alleles that are copies of the same gene also can be different. Allele-specific methylation (ASM) might get all the attention, but now researchers in the U.K. say that allele-specific histone modification (ASHM) might be […]
Try Zymo’s EZ DNA Methylation-Lightning™ Kit FreeMay 24, 2012Give the fastest bisulfite conversion kit on the market, the EZ DNA Methylation-Lightning Kit, a spin without spending a dime! Zymo Research is now offering free samples of the Lightning Kit through their website. Just look for the Sample Available icon in the right hand column, fill out the form and you’ll have a trial […]
New Epigenetic Analysis Methods to Watch in 2012May 24, 2012Based on what we’ve seen so far in journals, conferences and interviews, 2012 could be a banner year for epigenetic analysis methods. New twists on old tricks, and futuristic technology advances have converged to create some really exciting new approaches in the field. Here are just a few that you’ll want to keep track of […]
DNA Methylation Deserts: Hot Spots for Structural Genomic MutationsMay 23, 2012Deserts typically stir up images of desolate landscapes sprinkled with cacti, but according to a new report, ‘methylation deserts’, the 1% of the genome with the lowest occurrence of DNA methylation, are actually fertile ground for structural genomic mutations. A research group from the Baylor College of Medicine knew that the human genome contains many loci […]
Single Molecule Epigenetic Analysis with Dr. Paul SolowayMay 15, 2012Dr. Paul Soloway discusses the limitations with some of the main methods used in epigenetics research and shares a glimpse into what the next generation of tools will look like. This interview took place at the Keystone Symposia’s Epigenomics and Chromatin Dynamics joint meeting in January, 2012. Getting Past ChIP and Bisulfite Applications So, chromatin […]
Conference Trends: Nutrition in EpigeneticsMay 15, 2012Conferences provide an up-to-the-minute look at what’s going on inside epigenetics labs all over the world. By tuning into our conference coverage, we’ve tagged diet and nutrition as an important trend to follow in epigenetic research. Here’s a look at some trendy examples in our Conference Highlights from the last year or so. Differentially Methylated […]
Nanofluidic Sorting and Analyzing of Single Methylated DNA Molecules in Real TimeMay 14, 2012Getting kids to line up single-file can be a challenge, but lining up single molecules for analyses can be just as frustrating. Now, researchers at Cornell report that they’ve done just that—they can line up single DNA molecules in a tiny channel in a nanofluidic device, sort them according to methylation state, then recover them […]
