Butyrate Boosts iPS Derivation via Epigenetic RemodelingJune 24, 2010Sometimes we all need a little boost to improve productivity, whether it’s a mid-afternoon Snickers bar or a venti quadruple-shot latte to jump start a weary mind. It turns out that human fibroblasts also like a little something extra to help them reprogram into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Researchers at Johns Hopkins University led […]
Fun, Sun and MethylationJune 8, 2010Summertime is here, and that means that we’ll all be spending more time outdoors and in the sun. But, while you are out there doing your best to get as tan as the cast of Baywatch, some new details about how age and sun exposure can change your skin’s DNA methylation patterns may make you […]
Unscrambling Nucleosome-DNA Methylation RelationsJune 7, 2010Like the age-old “chicken-or-the-egg” question, epigeneticists have wondered which comes first, nucleosome positioning or DNA methylation. One school of thought is that DNA must be unwrapped from nucleosomes to allow methyltransferase access before methylation can occur, but a new study in Nature suggests that this theory isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. A […]
Memories Saved By DNA MethylationJune 7, 2010The connection between memory and epigenetics has been has been a hot topic over the last couple of years. A recent article in Nature Neuroscience adds a new wrinkle to the subject by showing that DNA methylation helps to save memories, in addition to creating them. Sort of like using the “Keep Until I Delete” […]
Carcinogens’ Link to DNA Methylation in Cancer May Be a Smoke ScreenMay 27, 2010Smoking is clearly bad for you. If bad breath, hacking coughs and emphysema aren’t bad enough, there is always lung cancer to ruin your day. Although there’s tons of evidence linking smoking to aberrant DNA methylation and lung cancer, researchers still haven’t figured out what exactly kicks off that whole process. Some talented scientists from […]
Brain Tumor Patients with DNA Methylation Live LongerMay 25, 2010Most patients diagnosed with brain tumors or gliomas only live about 15 months after the diagnosis, but a few patients beat the odds, living several more years. Researchers with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) now say that they can tell which patients will have better outcomes by looking at their DNA methylation. Those with a […]
DNA Methylation Takes a Back Seat To Histone Mods in miRNA RegulationMay 11, 2010DNA methylation has long been considered a key epigenetic driver in transcription, but lately histone modifications have been stealing some of the regulatory thunder. Histone mods like H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and H4 acetylation have shown researchers they’re not afraid to get conrolling when it comes to miRNA transcription either. Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and […]
Getting SMRT with Direct DNA Methylation DetectionMay 10, 2010Discovering a new use for something is always a nice suprise, sort of like finding a forgotten $20 bill in your back pocket. Researchers at Pacific Biosciences realized that their single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technique could also have the bonus ability to directly detect DNA methylation (DNAm)—without bisulfite conversion or any other additional sample prep. […]
CpG-SNPs & Allele-Specific Methylation Lead to Fuzzy MethylationMay 6, 2010Interpreting DNA methylation data is tough enough when you get binary, yes/no results, but can be downright maddening when your CpG sites are giving you mixed signals. Researchers at UCSD have found that it’s been allele-specific methylation (ASM) and CpG-SNPs causing much of that “fuzzy methylation”. The scientists tackled the thorny issue of CpGs with […]
Tracing the Roots of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Yields DNA Methylation InsightsApril 28, 2010Most of us are at least somewhat curious about our lineage: are we descended from a king, an outlaw, or maybe just a particularly snazzy dresser? And do our distant cousins in faraway lands share certain characteristics (such as a penchant for polyester) with us? A group of researchers in Norway asked similar questions about […]
