Folic Acid During Pregnancy: Friend or Foe?June 30, 2011Most of us have a hard time keeping up with the latest health recommendations . . . what’s good one year turns out to be a bad idea the next (kinda like the final season of Lost). For years, doctors have been telling women to take folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy to prevent […]
In Search of 5-hmC’s Tissue WhereaboutsJune 16, 20115-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) has been hiding out in the genomic shadows too long, but now researchers armed with a new technique, can track 5-hmC not just to the specific tissue it’s holed up in, but also the developmental stage as well. Or as Martha and the Vandellas put it, there’s “nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere […]
Foursome of DNA Methylation Subgroups Found in Colorectal CancerJune 16, 2011As if one kind of colorectal cancer (CRC) isn’t bad enough, new research has uncovered four DNA methylation-based versions of the insidious disease. Our So-Cal neighbors, Toshinori Hinoue and Daniel Weisenberger and team over at the USC Epigenome Center cranked out genome-scale DNA methylation profiles for 125 colorectal tumor and 29 normal tissue samples. The […]
DNA and Histone H3K9 Methylation Often Work AloneJune 14, 2011Nature is a master of using specific tools for specific jobs, so it’s not too surprising that DNA methylation and SETDB1/H3K9 methylation work on different sets of genes, as University of British Columbia researchers report. But occasionally those tools are more like a Swiss Army knife, like SETDB1, which also methylates H3K9s near endogenous retroviruses […]
CpG Island (R)EvolutionJune 2, 2011CpG islands and their methylation patterns are the epigeneticists bread and butter, and it’s been assumed by many that there are evolutionary reasons behind their existence. New data suggests that not all CpG islands were created equal, and much like Donald Trump’s hair, can’t entirely be explained by natural selection. High-powered researchers from the Weizmann […]
Posttraumatic Stress Risk Altered by DNA MethylationJune 1, 2011After nearly a decade of sending troops into harms way, the U.S. is now coping with the aftermath that those situations can create for our armed forces, like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). So it’s nice to see progress made towards understanding that condition. While many people are exposed to traumatic events, only a fraction will develop […]
EpiGenie 5-hmC Round-upJune 1, 2011We’re not entirely sure what the enigmatic base variant 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) does or why it’s important yet, but we do know it’s become one of our favorite epigenetic topics. Whether you’re a 5-hmC newbie, or just need a quick refresher, you’ll want to check out our favorite articles we’ve featured on the subject. Hydroxymethylcytosine Shakes […]
Histone Tails Take the Lead In De Novo MethylationMay 29, 2011“Newborn” (or de novo) DNA sequences come into this world just like newborn human babies—naked. So, how do new sequences get their DNA methylation on? Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say they’ve figured out what happens after the histones settle in: H3 tails that lack methylation at K4 bind to and activate de […]
Methylome Analysis Today: No One is PerfectMay 18, 2011With everyone focused on their own daily grind, its easy to gloss over some of life’s more philosophical questions like: “Does a falling tree make a sound if no one is there to hear it?” “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” or even “Are my methylome studies really accurate?” In an Epigenomics review […]
Decoding the Epigenetic Role of Non-coding RNAsMay 18, 2011About 90% of our genome is transcribed, but only 1-2% of the transcripts encode proteins. So what are all of those non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) doing? A better question might be: what aren’t they doing? In addition to regulating gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, ncRNAs play a big part in the control of […]
