Embryonic Stem Cells and their 5hmC Highwire Balancing ActApril 5, 2011With new tools and techniques to study the sixth base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), reports starting to pour in to shed new light on just what the heck it does. Now researchers in the UK have shown that changes in the relative levels of 5mC and 5hmC in embryonic stem (ES) cells could help tip cells toward […]
Chromatin States Get On the MapMarch 30, 2011Deciphering chromatin status across an entire genome must seem like trying to navigate through an Amazon rain forest without a guide. Luckily, new work just published begins the process of creating chromatin state roadmaps to help point epigenetics researchers down the right path. To make that journey a little smoother, a research group from MIT […]
miRNA Mimics Take Imperfect Aim at Gene PromotersMarch 29, 2011Sometimes a perfect match isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – just look at the Hollywood divorce rate. Whether you’re talking relationships or ncRNAs, a few mismatches between partners can still lead to a successful outcome. That seems to be the case for small RNAs that recognize gene promoter regions, as revealed by researchers […]
LincRNA HOTTIP Gives Inside Info on Active Chromatin MarketsMarch 24, 2011In unsteady stock markets these days, who couldn’t use a hot tip to rev up their investments? Apparently, some HOXA genes also need a HOTTIP just as much as any Wall St. insider to help jump-start production. A recent Nature paper from talented teams at Stanford University and UCSF reveals that a long intergenic non-coding […]
Enoxacin: The Undercover Cancer Fighter Rouses Dormant miRNAsMarch 11, 2011By day, it’s known as a mild-mannered antibiotic. But secretly, enoxacin may also have the power to take down cancer, which had remained hidden until now. A study just published in PNAS found that enoxacin, which is normally used to treat urinary tract infections, also prevents the growth and metastasis of colorectal tumors in mice. […]
miRNA Dysregulation Can Be a Real Heart-StopperMarch 11, 2011It’s been pretty well established that miRNAs really get their hands dirty with various affairs of the heart like development and function (not romance and relationships). So it stands to reason that when things start to go haywire with the heart, like a myocardial infarction (MI), that miRNA expression gets out of whack, too. Scientists […]
EpiGenie Interview: Dr. Randy Jirtle on Environment EpigenomicsMarch 10, 2011We caught up with Dr. Randy Jirtle to hear more about his transition from nuclear engineer to imprinting guru and chief publicist for Agouti mice. Dr. Jirtle is a co-organizer for the epigenetics star-studded Keystone Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility Meeting that kicks off March 27th, 2011 in Asheville, North Carolina. In the interview he […]
Adiós Amnio: Noninvasive Down Syndrome Screening with Fetal DNA MethylationMarch 6, 2011Oscar winner Natalie Portman and other pregnant women may glow with hormones. But to-be-mamas lose some of that radiance at the thought of having a long needle dig into their bellies to check their unborn baby for Down syndrome. Now thanks to some intrepid researchers, pregnant women might be able to ditch the stressful prenatal […]
DNA Methylation Links Low Maternal Folate with Neural Tube DefectsMarch 1, 2011Increasing evidence supports that mom’s parental duties start way before birth. Make sure you do this…don’t do that, but don’t stress over it. It’s great to see researchers starting to get a hold of the “why” behind all the rules. Not getting enough folate from mom puts fetuses at risk for neural tube defects such […]
Stressed Out Moms MethylateMarch 1, 2011Raising babies is a stressful thing, made even more so when Mom herself is raised: a meter high on a Plexiglas platform, while she’s pregnant, that is. The effect on her kids – er, pups – is manifest in brain and body weight, in behavioral development, and even epigenetically. Researchers from the University of Lethbridge […]