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. […]
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 […]
H3K27me3 Conjurs Epigenetic Memories of Winters PastJuly 26, 2011With temperatures soaring above 100°F in many parts of the U.S., it can be awfully hard to remember what last winter was like. But thanks to histone modifications, many plants have a built-in memory of cold periods—which is important for flowering. Plants not only remember that they went through a cold period, but they also […]
7th & 8th Bases Found On the Road to DemethylationJuly 25, 2011Just how many DNA bases can there possibly be? It was a pretty big deal when the 6th base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) was found in 2009, and now the same University of North Carolina team has discovered two more cytosine analogs to bring the total to eight…for now. In the uproar over 5-hmC, researchers were sent […]
DNA Methylation Shifts in Early Immune DevelopmentJuly 19, 2011How can you know if something’s changed, if you didn’t see what it looked like to start with? That was the idea behind a new study that profiled DNA methylation in the immune development of youngsters. With more and more focus on environmental causes of immune diseases, and their epigenetic links, Australian researchers decided to […]
Different Strokes For DNA Methylation Patterns in Stem Cell LinesJuly 15, 2011Although we often think of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines as being pretty much the same (kind of like the Kardashian sisters), they really are different according to a report by UCLA researchers. Even though they usually can differentiate into the same cell types, hESCs have different methylation patterns—and that may affect gene expression. […]
IsomiRs, 3′ variants May Shine Light on miRNA FunctionJuly 15, 2011As next-generation sequencing continues to explode in popularity, researchers are finding out that nucleic acids are a lot more complex than they ever imagined. One miRNA gene = one miRNA? Nah, that would be too simple. Instead, just like their protein-coding counterparts, miRNA genes can give rise to multiple variants, or isomiRs. Now researchers in […]
Cancer Cells Keep Their Methylome Options OpenJuly 6, 2011As new research finds tumor cells don’t like to be tied to just one methylation pattern, they prefer a variety. In fact, that variation within tumors gives cells a big leg-up in challenging environments, and possibly even helps them avoid detection and treatment. Building on their earlier work on CpG shores and stochastic variation, the […]