RNA Pol II Calls the Shots in Random Monoallelic ExpressionAugust 15, 2011Just because two things ultimately do the same thing doesn’t mean they’re equivalent. Take Facebook and MySpace, for example. Researchers from the University of Washington say that imprinting and random allele-specific expression have two very different mechanisms, even though the outcome—only one of the two alleles of a gene is translated—is the same. H3K9me3 and […]
Microfluidic qRT-PCR Unlocks Single Cell miRNA SecretsAugust 12, 2011Recent headlines tell us that the average American lives in a household of 2.62 people, chows down too many potato chips, and thinks that the “Dirty Dancing” remake is a bad idea. But averaging over populations obscures the often highly variable characteristics of individuals, and the same is true for cells. To get a better […]
EpiGenie Stem Cell Epigenetics ReviewAugust 4, 2011We’re big fans of stem cell research, the vast potential it represents and the close connection it has to epigenetics. Apparently we aren’t alone either, judging by the avalanche of top-notch papers that regularly cross our monitors. We’ve even give serious consideration to launching another site just to be able cover the area properly (StemGenie, […]
A Beginner’s Guide to ChIPAugust 3, 2011Do you lay awake at night reflecting on how much you want to get started with ChIP, but stressed that you don’t know where to start? Who doesn’t? Good thing for you, our friends at Abcam have come to your rescue, so you can rest at ease counting sheep instead. Abcam just published a killer […]
Targeting Brd4 Fends Off Acute Myeloid LeukemiaAugust 3, 2011Chromatin mods should be good drug targets for cancer therapies, but sort of like Facebook’s privacy policy, cancer epigenetics is so complex that no one completely understands all the nuances. So instead of spending time on the usual epigenetic suspects, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor in New York kept an open mind and performed an […]
miR-103 Takes the Sting Out of Chronic PainAugust 3, 2011Simple aches pains send us scrambling for the ibuprofen, so we can only imagine how hard it is to deal with chronic pain. Following up on the role that microRNAs play in some neurological processes, researchers found that miR-103 regulates certain pain channels, and may one day be the a key to chronic pain relief. […]
Top Five Reasons To Automate Your Epigenetic WorkflowAugust 3, 2011The word “automation” conjures up images of the future complete with robot butlers and flying cars, but the reality is that automation is here now, and it can change your everyday life in a big way. In the lab, automated instruments have already impacted how we use common techniques like PCR and sequencing. Today new […]
Regulation of RNA Splicing and Histone Methylation a Two-Way StreetJuly 28, 2011The evidence that chromatin is involved in regulating splicing is piling up. But is that just a one-way street? No, says an international team of researchers who now report loads of data suggesting that splicing can return the favor and contribute to histone methylation. Looking at ChIP experiments in mouse and human genomes, the researchers […]
Cancers Ban Erythropoietin with DNA MethylationJuly 27, 2011Most folks know the hormone erythropoietin (aka EPO) because of its use as a “doping” substance by athletes to illegally gain an edge on their competition through enhanced red blood cell production. Even though we all make at least a little bit of the stuff naturally in lots of our tissues, it seems that athletic […]
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma’s Trouble with Histone ModificationsJuly 27, 2011They say it’s the quiet ones that you have to watch out for. Canadian researchers may have had that in mind when they pondered the genetic causes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Through some extra digging (and sequencing), they uncovered several mutant genes that had remained hidden until now, including some that have roles in histone […]