Race and Sex Major Players in Global DNA MethylationMay 3, 2011Lower global DNA methylation levels have been associated with genomic instability and cancer in humans, making it a great potential biomarker in peripheral blood. So scientists took a close look at the factors around global methylation levels and found that race and gender play a huge role. Researchers from Texas and New York measured the […]
Probing Placental EpigeneticsMay 3, 2011Ever since Tom Cruise publicly vowed to eat his newborn’s placenta a few years back, the “afterbirth” organ has gotten a bum rap. But recent evidence suggests that in addition to its long-recognized role in supplying oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus, the placenta also influences fetal development through epigenetic mechanisms. Now a trio […]
Epigenetic SNPs Behind Not So Positive Feedback Loop in AlcoholismMay 2, 2011We all like to celebrate here and there. Shoot…EpiGenie’s still recovering from its royal wedding breakfast bash. But most experts will tell you that moderation is key. Now, researchers in Sweden and Australia give us even more reason to heed that advice and avoid going on that next weekend bender—they found that heavy drinking can […]
Tumor Suppressor Methylation is Cause for Cancer ConcernMay 2, 2011Aberrant DNA methylation causes cancer. Wait, didn’t we know this already? Well, not exactly. Association and causation are two very different things. For instance, being smart may be associated with wearing glasses, but the actual cause is a desire to not bump into everything. In order to determine whether aberrant DNA methylation at particular loci […]
Histone Mods? There’s an App for ThatApril 29, 2011Although they’re better known for robust histone “abs”, the folks up at Millipore have now demonstrated that they’re not too shabby at cranking out solid histone “apps” as well. The team just released an iPad® app that’s a really slick, interactive resource for histone modifications available, absolutely free in iTunes. Why waste time on Angry […]
Sperm Nucleosome Retention is All Off BaseApril 19, 2011There are lots of ways sperm cells are different from other cell types, but a new PLoS Genetics paper focused on one way in particular, chromatin structure, in order to find out what those differences mean and where they come from.In most cells, DNA is packaged up into nucleosomes, but in sperm, nucleosomes are only […]
DNA Methylation Keeps iPS Cells Living in the PastApril 19, 2011Some people are convinced that they’ve lived a past life, recalling snippets of someone else’s memories from a different time and place. Now, without the benefit of hypnosis, researchers have discovered that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells also retain transcriptional memories of past lives as somatic cells, which can be at least partially explained by […]
DNA Methylation May be Secret to Dieting SuccessApril 13, 2011The theory behind most diets seems simple enough: Eat less calories; Lose more weight. But we all know that’s way easier said than done, and now there’s some epigenetic reasons why. A new study found that promoter methylation of key obesity linked genes can predict the success of low-calorie diets. Researchers from the University of […]
miRNAs Better at Predicting Outcome Than NCAA SeedsApril 12, 2011After this year’s March Madness Tournament, many people are wondering whether predictive measures have any relation to outcome in the real world. Luckily, scientists are too busy to watch that many basketball games. Since the best defense is a good offense, researchers from Luxembourg and Seattle teamed up to try to identify markers that could […]
Formaldehyde Fumes Foil miRNA ExpressionApril 12, 2011Anyone who’s gotten too close while pouring an RNA gel knows the eye-burning, nose-hair-singeing bite of formaldehyde fumes. Even outside the lab, we breathe in trace levels of formaldehyde released from car exhaust and manufacturing processes. Now researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have uncovered changes in miRNA expression of lung cells exposed […]