3.7M CpGs Await with Improved Methyl-Seq Target EnrichmentMarch 3, 2012March 3, 2012 Instead of sequencing (and paying for, managing, storing, and analyzing) everything, target enrichment blazes through samples like a combine, harvesting for regions of interest. Even as sequencing costs drop towards that “$1,000 genome” level, enriching for select targets makes a lot of sense, especially if you only want to look at a […]
Epigenetics at the Intersection of Environment and SelectionFebruary 28, 2012One of the most fascinating things about epigenetics is the implication it has for inheritance and evolution. Theories and hypotheses are everywhere, of course, but until Sir Richard Branson launches a Virgin Time Travel business, actually measuring the changes from thousands of years of natural selection will remain a pretty tall order. Two recent papers […]
Epigenetic Regulation of Gene ExpressionFebruary 25, 2012EpiGenie recently reviewed the epigenetic text book RNA and the Regulation of Gene Expression. Here we give you a small taste of the content found inside with a summary of one of the chapters: Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression by Kevin Morris This chapter outlines the fundamental aspects of epigenetic regulation as it relates to […]
Small RNA-mediated Gene ActivationFebruary 25, 2012EpiGenie recently reviewed the epigenetic text RNA and the Regulation of Gene Expression by Kevin Morris. To give you a small taste of the material covered in the book, here is a summary of one of the chapters: Small RNA-mediated Gene Activation by Long-Cheng Li Noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) which, by definition, do not code for […]
Getting your Fix: Optimizing Chromatin Fixation for ChIP AnalysisFebruary 23, 2012Various ChIP methods are filled with all sorts of secret tricks that don’t seem to make it into the textbooks. This is especially true of the chromatin fixation step, where loads of variables make it difficult to pin down the exact conditions you need. Instead of learning the hard way, through failed experiments or apprenticing […]
The New Human Epigenome Browser from WashUFebruary 23, 2012Looking for the latest in epigenome data analysis tools? Then you’ll want to check out Washington University’s latest creation; The Human Epigenome Browser. Built as part of the Roadmap Epigenomics Project to house and view Human Epigenome Atlas data, this new platform comes with all sorts of slick features to make analyzing, comparing and integrating […]
So Emotional: HDAC6 Affects Mouse BehaviorFebruary 22, 2012We all have bad days every so often and if you’re like us, you chalk up that depression or anxiety to something like, a looming project deadline or insufficient sleep and caffeine. A new study though, shows that there might be an unlikely culprit behind those negative emotions, your histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) levels. Acetylation […]
Emerging Details On Monoallelic Silencing in TumorsFebruary 19, 2012It’s funny how research can pay off in surprising ways. In this case, University of Wisconsin scientists were studying the tumor suppressor gene APC when they realized there was an unusual brand of monoallelic silencing going on. Earlier studies have found that many early adenomas begin with the loss of function of the Adenomatous polyposis […]
Cells Socialize via miRNAs to Protect Against AtherosclerosisFebruary 16, 2012Nowadays, there are ton of ways to talk to your friends—phone, text, email, Facebook, Twitter, Skype…Now, an international team of researchers add to the growing literature showing that cells can talk to each other by sending out vesicles with miRNAs in them. This time, the cells are inside blood vessels, and the message is to […]
Epigenetics and TwinsFebruary 8, 2012Every summer outside Cleveland, Ohio identical twins congregate at the Twins Days Festival. Twins from all over join in on an assortment of activities over three days that resembles a massive Doublemint® gum commercial. It’s not just the twins that get stoked for the festival though. As was highlighted in a nice article in National […]