DNA Methylation Deserts: Hot Spots for Structural Genomic MutationsMay 23, 2012Deserts typically stir up images of desolate landscapes sprinkled with cacti, but according to a new report, ‘methylation deserts’, the 1% of the genome with the lowest occurrence of DNA methylation, are actually fertile ground for structural genomic mutations. A research group from the Baylor College of Medicine knew that the human genome contains many loci […]
Enhancers Set the Stage for Stem Cell Differentiation during EmbryogenesisMay 23, 2012It’s amazing to think that we all started out as one cell with DNA from our parents inside. Now, researchers in Spain and the Netherlands say that they have a better idea of how development happens—and enhancers are showing them the way by pointing out active genes. The researchers knew that active enhancers are marked […]
ChIP Enrichment Gets Solid (Phase)May 16, 2012The application of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in epigenetics research is expanding constantly. Lately it seems that every last aspect of the ChIP process from antibody validation and DNA shearing to purification is being fine-tuned by experts worldwide. One of the latest upgrades to the ChIP process improves chromatin capture and cleanup. Over the years researchers […]
Single Molecule Epigenetic Analysis with Dr. Paul SolowayMay 15, 2012Dr. Paul Soloway discusses the limitations with some of the main methods used in epigenetics research and shares a glimpse into what the next generation of tools will look like. This interview took place at the Keystone Symposia’s Epigenomics and Chromatin Dynamics joint meeting in January, 2012. Getting Past ChIP and Bisulfite Applications So, chromatin […]
Conference Trends: Nutrition in EpigeneticsMay 15, 2012Conferences provide an up-to-the-minute look at what’s going on inside epigenetics labs all over the world. By tuning into our conference coverage, we’ve tagged diet and nutrition as an important trend to follow in epigenetic research. Here’s a look at some trendy examples in our Conference Highlights from the last year or so. Differentially Methylated […]
Nanofluidic Sorting and Analyzing of Single Methylated DNA Molecules in Real TimeMay 14, 2012Getting kids to line up single-file can be a challenge, but lining up single molecules for analyses can be just as frustrating. Now, researchers at Cornell report that they’ve done just that—they can line up single DNA molecules in a tiny channel in a nanofluidic device, sort them according to methylation state, then recover them […]
Variable Methylation Regions and Missing Heritability with Dr. Andrew FeinbergMay 10, 2012Dr. Andrew Feinberg discusses how epigenetics might be related to missing heritability of disease via variable methylation regions. This interview was shot on campus at Johns Hopkins University. Variable Methylation Regions and Missing Heritability So a conundrum in modern human genetics is how epigenetics might be related to missing heritability of disease, what’s commonly […]
HPV Integration Brings Cancerous Changes to the DNA MethylomeMay 9, 2012Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) can protect against many forms of the virus, which can cause cervical cancer. But not everyone gets vaccinated, and there’s still a risk of becoming infected with an HPV type that the vaccination doesn’t cover. Early epigenetic events associated with HPV infection are still mysterious, so researchers in the United […]
Pregnancy-linked miRNA Cluster in Exosomes May Spark AdenomasMay 9, 2012We’ve all had things come back and haunt us—like our high school yearbook picture (the horror!). Now, researchers in Germany say they hypothesize that the same thing could happen with a chromosome 19 miRNA cluster. These miRNAs appear to dampen a mother’s immune response to a developing fetus, but the researchers think that this “immunomodulatory” […]
Virtual Poster Presentation: Comprehensive DNA Methylation Profiling of 3.7 million CpGs with the SureSelect Target Enrichment SystemMay 8, 2012What new technique reveals more information than methylation microarrays by detecting individual CpGs, increases throughput with reduced costs compared to Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing and reveals methylated regions undetected by RRBS and Me-Dip? Tune in to a virtual presentation delivered Dr. Kyeong Soo Jeong, R&D Scientist, Genomics Group, Agilent Technologies as he presents a poster that […]