EpiGenie Guide: Chromatin ShearingMarch 6, 2020ChIP-Seq has transformed the field of epigenetics, providing unprecedented resolution and coverage for surveying protein- DNA interactions. Powerful, high-throughput sequencing is credited with most of the benefits, but there’s a lot more that goes into ChIP-Seq than sequencing. Chromatin shearing is one of the first critical steps in the ChIP-Seq workflow. Depending on your approach, […]
dCas9-ROS1 Cuts Out the Methylation Middlemen in Targeted DNA DemethylationMarch 3, 2020As the saying goes, the shortest path from A to B is a straight line and if you’re studying DNA demethylation, you know just how complicated things can get along the road from methylated to unmethylated cytosines. Mammals use Ten-Eleven Translocation proteins (TET) to oxidize 5mC, but the process creates pit stops that may be […]
Epigenetic Study Suggests that the Safety of Vaping is Running on FumesMarch 2, 2020With as many flavors as there are epigenetic modifications, vaping has arrived on the scene as a safer alternative to the smoking of cigarettes and a means to give up a rather unhealthy habit. However, the rise in vaping-related lung injuries and the “unforeseen” massive uptake of vaping by teenagers have prompted scientists to undertake […]
Inactive X Chromosomes SPENd Time Tucked Under the Epigenetic CoversFebruary 25, 2020When it’s the dead of winter, and the world outside is frozen solid, there’s no better place to be than under a mountain of warm blankets, like an inactivated X chromosome under a cloud of Xist long-noncoding RNA. Although we’ve known for a while that Xist is necessary for X chromosome inactivation (XCI), the mechanisms […]
ATAC-Me: An Epigenetic One-Two Combo Hits the Mark at EnhancersFebruary 16, 2020There are many ways to “attack” a problem – head-on, from the side, with great care, or swiftly and suddenly, but as many a boxer may tell you, the classic one-two combo usually works a treat. Now, in a slugfest of a new study, a rambunctious rabble of ring-ready researchers recently hit the mark and […]
A Novel lncRNA Plays Cat and MAOs with Aggressive BehaviorsFebruary 4, 2020It’s the classic dilemma — do you eat that delectable morsel of cheese now or save it for later? If you tend to lack self-control, you might be at higher risk of impulsive or aggressive behavioral disorders, which have been linked to genes in the monoamine oxidase (MAO) family. A new study from the lab […]
Epigenetic Editing Makes the (Neuronal) Connection Between C11orf46 and NeurodevelopmentJanuary 21, 2020Whether it’s our personal of professional lives, we’re told time and time again that making the right connection is key. It turns out that that’s also true for our brains; making proper neuronal connections early is make or break. Altered neuronal connections can cause neurodevelopmental disorders. Often, these disorders are associated with mutations in genes […]
Retrotransposons LIT the Way for Genomic Imprinting During EvolutionJanuary 9, 2020It’s clear that humans and mice have taken very different evolutionary paths, but new research suggests that transcription from long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTRs), which are endogenous retroviral elements that can induce DNA methylation in oocytes, may have acted as guiding lights along the forks in the road. Besides the obvious differences in size, furriness, […]
The Epigenomics of Non-Coding DNA Variants with Dr. Guillaume BourqueDecember 20, 2019Dr. Guillaume Bourque from McGill University discusses his lab’s bioinformatic research examining the epigenomics of non-coding DNA sequence variants at the 2019 joint CEEHRC/IHEC meeting.
The Epigenetics of T-Cell Development with Dr. Ellen RothenbergDecember 20, 2019Dr. Ellen Rothenberg from the California Institute of Technology discusses her lab’s research into the epigenetics of T-cell development at the 2019 joint CEEHRC/IHEC meeting.