It Takes Two to Tango: Histone Serotonylation Partners with H3K4me3 to Regulate Gene ExpressionFebruary 15, 2021While epigenetic research has often linked single histone modifications to transcriptional outputs, new research in neurons now shows that “it takes two to tango” and a little serotonin, classically known as a neurotransmitter, keeps the transcriptional tango going strong. Specifically, a free-stepping study that discovered histone serotonylation previously associated an adjacent enrichment of the lysine […]
Not Your Mother’s Mary-Jane: CBD Messes with the Prenatal Mouse Brain DNA MethylomeFebruary 8, 2021The times sure have changed since Woodstock ’69. Instead of having to hide their stash from the nearest authority figures, cannabis enthusiasts have been given the greenlight by the recent legalization of cannabis products across the globe. In fact, studies suggest that cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis, can be helpful in treating anything […]
Big Things Come in Small Packages: Nanobodies Enter the Epigenetic Editing RingFebruary 4, 2021While we have seen many contenders for the title of heavyweight champion in the epigenetic editing ring, the adage “big things come in small packages” has taken on a new meaning. Nanobodies, or single-domain antibodies, demonstrate that featherweights can pack an explosive epigenetic editing punch by using their opponents’ momentum against them. Researchers led by […]
EpiGo-KRAB: A New, Live-action Tool to Edit and Visualize Heterochromatin Formation in Living ColorJanuary 26, 2021Like any live-action remake, vibrant colors are essential for a new epigenetic editing tool that simultaneously introduces H3K9me3 at hundreds of targeted loci while also allowing for HD visualization of the heterochromatic results. Now, let’s meet the stars of this show that were cast by a team led by Hanhui Ma from ShanghaiTech University. H3K9me3 […]
Sperm Throw “Three-pointers” to Ensure Transgenerational Epigenetic InheritanceJanuary 26, 2021In the game of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, many labs have been searching for a slam dunk. Now, in a game-changing new article, ballers from the laboratory of Michael K. Skinner (Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA) provide a play-by-play of how teamwork between non-coding RNA expression, DNA methylation, and histone modifications allows rat sperm to […]
Storm Chasing: Cell-Free DNA Methylation Tracks the Severity and Location of COVID-19 DamageJanuary 25, 2021As the COVID-19 cytokine storm brews in our bodies, the severity and location of the damage remains uncertain. However, exciting new findings from a storm chasing team led by Iwijn De Vlaminck (Cornell University) show that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation profiles can track the affected organs and severity of COVID-19 damage in patients. Although we’ve seen that DNA […]
Are My Eggs Getting Old? Single-cell Multiomics Shows that Oocytes Have an Epigenetic TimestampJanuary 13, 2021Unfortunately, real life is not a fairy tale. Unlike Sleeping Beauty, sleeping oocytes are not frozen in time. As oocytes get older, they acquire epigenetic changes that make it harder for them to get on with their baby making business. Important new single-cell multiomics work from Gavin Kelsey’s and Myriam Hemberger’s teams at the Babraham Institute shows […]
The Epigenetic Clock – From Deep Space to Deep LearningDecember 30, 2020As the year comes to its end, our epigenetic clocks keep on ticking, and hot new DNA methylation-based studies keep rolling in. Here, we gaze into two deeply interesting studies that take us on an epigenetic journey from deep space to deep learning by reporting how space travel can influence epigenetic aging and how neural […]
DNA Methylation Contributes to the Chaos and Complications of COVID-19December 14, 2020While the cough was the cardinal consideration, COVID-19 has been causing chaos in every organ system, including lungs, heart, brain, blood, liver, and skin. In fact, the involvement of these non-lung systems predicts increased mortality and new research now shows that DNA methylation is a contributor to COVID-19. Researchers from the laboratory of Arjun Deb […]
Blame the Brain on Cocaine: DNA Methylation Alters 3D Chromatin TerrainDecember 8, 2020Although studies of DNA methylation and its impact on chromatin architecture leave us with quite the buzz, this latest one adds a bit of cocaine to the mix to give it an extra kick. This stimulating study found cocaine use reduced DNA methylation at a key gene to change CTCF binding and alter 3D chromatin […]