Quick Interviews from Keystone Symposia’s Meeting on Environmental Epigenomics and Disease SusceptibilityAugust 25, 2011We set out to provide a few nice interviews with some of the outstanding cast of researchers that presented at Keystone Symposia’s meeting on Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility last spring, but one thing led to another, and well…here they are now. Apologies for the delay, but we think you’ll agree it was worth the […]
RNA Pol II Calls the Shots in Random Monoallelic ExpressionAugust 15, 2011Just because two things ultimately do the same thing doesn’t mean they’re equivalent. Take Facebook and MySpace, for example. Researchers from the University of Washington say that imprinting and random allele-specific expression have two very different mechanisms, even though the outcome—only one of the two alleles of a gene is translated—is the same. H3K9me3 and […]
EpiGenie Stem Cell Epigenetics ReviewAugust 4, 2011We’re big fans of stem cell research, the vast potential it represents and the close connection it has to epigenetics. Apparently we aren’t alone either, judging by the avalanche of top-notch papers that regularly cross our monitors. We’ve even give serious consideration to launching another site just to be able cover the area properly (StemGenie, […]
Top Five Reasons To Automate Your Epigenetic WorkflowAugust 3, 2011The word “automation” conjures up images of the future complete with robot butlers and flying cars, but the reality is that automation is here now, and it can change your everyday life in a big way. In the lab, automated instruments have already impacted how we use common techniques like PCR and sequencing. Today new […]
Cancers Ban Erythropoietin with DNA MethylationJuly 27, 2011Most folks know the hormone erythropoietin (aka EPO) because of its use as a “doping” substance by athletes to illegally gain an edge on their competition through enhanced red blood cell production. Even though we all make at least a little bit of the stuff naturally in lots of our tissues, it seems that athletic […]
7th & 8th Bases Found On the Road to DemethylationJuly 25, 2011Just how many DNA bases can there possibly be? It was a pretty big deal when the 6th base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) was found in 2009, and now the same University of North Carolina team has discovered two more cytosine analogs to bring the total to eight…for now. In the uproar over 5-hmC, researchers were sent […]
ENCODE and Roadmap Epigenomics Antibody Validation DatabaseJuly 19, 2011Many epigenetics techniques and projects rely on high-quality antibodies, but not all commercial antibodies perform well enough to get the job done. On top of that, there’s no uniform standard, or easy steps to fully validate a good antibody. With help of the Park lab at Harvard Medical School, there is now a place that […]
DNA Methylation Shifts in Early Immune DevelopmentJuly 19, 2011How can you know if something’s changed, if you didn’t see what it looked like to start with? That was the idea behind a new study that profiled DNA methylation in the immune development of youngsters. With more and more focus on environmental causes of immune diseases, and their epigenetic links, Australian researchers decided to […]
Different Strokes For DNA Methylation Patterns in Stem Cell LinesJuly 15, 2011Although we often think of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines as being pretty much the same (kind of like the Kardashian sisters), they really are different according to a report by UCLA researchers. Even though they usually can differentiate into the same cell types, hESCs have different methylation patterns—and that may affect gene expression. […]
Cancer Cells Keep Their Methylome Options OpenJuly 6, 2011As new research finds tumor cells don’t like to be tied to just one methylation pattern, they prefer a variety. In fact, that variation within tumors gives cells a big leg-up in challenging environments, and possibly even helps them avoid detection and treatment. Building on their earlier work on CpG shores and stochastic variation, the […]
