Copper Controls the Epigenetic Regulation of Inflammation? Element-ary, my Dear Watson!June 13, 2023While some problems simply need a Deerstalker and a helpful sidekick to solve, discovering the cellular processes controlling inflammation has been less of an “element-ary” task! Now, an epigenetic study (in Scarlet?) links inflammation to a mechanism involving a membrane protein, the uptake of copper, and histone modifications in macrophages! A team of epigenetic investigators […]
Move Over Caloric Restriction – Hungry-Hungry Histones Slow Aging!May 30, 2023Kick the kebab, bin the burger, axe the avocado toast?! While caloric restriction represents a hunger-inducing yet effective means to extend lifespans, a tasty new study highlights how “hungry-hungry histones” create a neural hunger “state” that slows aging (even when getting our fill), suggesting that growing old may be more delicious than we think! While […]
Gene Topology or Gene Expression? NSD1 Chooses Both to Protect the BrainMay 23, 2023We have to make a lot of decisions in our lives, but sometimes when given two choices, going with both can be the right answer. For example, researchers working on neurodevelopment figured out two different phenomena that regulate non-CG methylation in the postnatal brain, but how are they connected? Now, Harrison Gabel’s lab (Washington University […]
Tissue Regeneration Rejuvenates Chromatin Age-Domains to Wake Cells from Hyper-quiescenceMay 22, 2023Taking a break from the hectic world now and again might just save your sanity; however, we sometimes need a push to get back up the pace of everyday life! Now, exciting new tissue rejuvenation-based research into the chromatin age-domains associated with hyper-quiescence suggests that aging cells also suffer from this pesky problem. Aging tissues […]
BIND&MODIFY and NOMe-HiC Go the Distance with Single-Molecule, Long-Range Epigenetic MapsMay 4, 2023Staying in your own neighborhood can be nice, but sometimes you need to go on a trip and see different scenery. Chromatin is a lot like that—things can look very different along a DNA strand that bends and folds. That’s why two separate teams have come up with multi-omics methods that go the whole distance […]
H2B or Not H2B – Which Histone Modification Distinguishes Active Enhancers?May 1, 2023Science has moved on since William Shakespeare put quill to parchment around 1600 to write the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, but his legacy has survived to influence a new manuscript that describes the quest to discover histone modifications that better distinguish active enhancers. “H2B, or not H2B, that is the question!” Enhancer elements […]
Supercharge your DNA Methylation Analysis with the New 900K EPIC v2 MicroarrayApril 17, 2023Some say the bigger the better, while others believe it’s what you do with it that counts! Now, a study reports that the most recent iteration of EPIC DNA methylation (900K EPIC v2) microarrays – which supercharges your insight by taking in both many more informative CpGs and additional chromatin features – supports the efficient […]
Racing to Identify Novel Imprinted Genes in the RatApril 17, 2023While some research develops at “a snail’s pace,” other projects “canter” along briskly; however, a recent study moved faster than a rat up a drainpipe, with a cross-country team leaving their mark on the “rat race” by successfully identifying novel imprinted genes and highlighting the rapid evolution of imprinting in this vital model animal. A […]
H3K4 Methylation Loss Makes RNAPII Pause for ThoughtMarch 27, 2023With mice with two dads, crystal clear images of dying stars, and the rise of ChatGPT being daily news items, does anything make you “pause for thought” these days? A stunning study from reflective researchers just might! They provide insight into an epigenetic enigma surrounding the transcriptional role of a histone modification by reporting how […]
SiTomics Captures Site-Specific Dynamic Histone Modifications, Proteome and Genome Changes In the WildMarch 22, 2023Don’t you wish you could just look into the nucleus of a cell and watch what’s happening? With SiTomics, Peng Chen’s lab (Peking University) gets close—they can see what modifications are being placed on a particular histone, what proteins bind to it, and where that histone is on the DNA, all in living cells. To do […]