From Greta Thunberg leading global climate protests to Katie Bouman capturing the first picture of a black hole; sometimes an emerging star can create enormous waves on the world scene. In the realm of epigenetics, the “humble” N 7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification forms the eukaryotic mRNA cap, a structure that regulates mRNA export, translation, and splicing, […]
- Features
Features
EpiGenie Features call out new Methods, provide Insights into emerging trends, or sometimes just share technical tips from the experts in our community.
Members of the PIWI League Play Important Positions in the Brain
It takes a special kind of small RNA to try out for the PIWI team. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNA) are small, have and adenine at their 10th position, an uracil at their 5’ end, and 2’-O-methylation at their 3’ end. This unique physique helps piRNA work with PIWI proteins to defend the germline against an aggressive transposon offense, but […]
Histone Demethylases Have a “Sixth Sense” about Oxygen Levels!
Many people make dubious claims of being endowed with more than the five traditionally recognized senses; their “sixth sense” providing the extrasensory perception needed to converse with spirits and ghosts and predict the future, among other fanciful claims. While there is a lack of any evidence for extrasensory powers and paranormal activity, robust studies have […]
Go CRISPR-Go Go, This Genome Organization Study B. Good!
There aren’t many studies exciting enough to make you jump out your lab coat and rock’n’roll round the lab like it’s the 50s, but a recently reported new application of CRISPR might just start your toes tapping and your heads nodding. This new article does not originate from “Deep down in Louisiana close to New […]
Drop-by-Drop Cell Fate Control by Transcriptional Condensates
Little-by-little, step-by-step, and drop-by-drop, we are beginning to appreciate the vital importance of intracellular liquid-like droplet formation to fundamental mechanisms such as epigenetic inheritance and heterochromatin domain formation. Liquid-like droplets aid these processes by biological “phase-separation” or the selective concentration of some molecules into a small intracellular area and the exclusion of others. Excitingly, two new […]