iPS Cells Can’t Escape Their miRNA PastsAugust 4, 2010Even though the second season of The Jersey Shore takes place in Miami, the cast remain true to their ‘guido’ roots. I guess sometimes you just can’t change who you really are. The same is true for microRNA expression profiles of iPS cells. A recent review (Lakshmipathy et.al. 2010) from Ron Hart’s group at the […]
Uncovering 5hmC’s Link to Stem Cell Self-RenewalAugust 3, 2010The search is on to figure out a role for the recently discovered 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) base. While it’s still up in the air if 5hmC will play a main character or just be cast as an extra , this new study in Nature ties the mysterious modification to a demethylation pathway, regulated by Tet proteins, […]
EpiGenie 2010 Mid-Year Editor’s Favorites: Non-Coding RNAJuly 21, 2010We’re halfway through 2010, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best epigenetics publications we’ve covered so far this year. Here are some of our favorite Non-Coding RNA headlines. miRNA Decoys Psuedogenes finally get some love. Long considered to just be wasted genomic space, it turns out that they do […]
EpiGenie 2010 Mid-Year Editor’s Favorites: DNA MethylationJuly 21, 2010We’re halfway through 2010, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best epigenetics publications we’ve covered so far this year. Here are some of our favorite DNA Methylation headlines. CpG-SNPs If your methylation profiles have been looking a little fuzzy, it could be CpG-SNPs are to blame. CpG-SNPs where found […]
EpiGenie 2010 Mid-Year Editor’s Favorites: ChromatinJuly 21, 2010We’re halfway through 2010, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best epigenetics publications we’ve covered so far this year. Here are some of our favorite Chromatin headlines. Histone Mods and Alternative Splicing This publication might have popped up in the mainest of mainstream journals, but the focus is all […]
Genes Weigh Their Alternative Promoter OptionsJuly 8, 2010It’s always nice to have options, but nowadays there are often so many choices that you can drive yourself crazy making a decision, just ask LeBron James. A recent Nature paper shows that even genes need a little input from DNA methylation when they consider using alternative gene promoters. Joseph Costello at UCSF and colleagues […]
EZH2: Cancer Villain or MDS Hero?July 7, 2010EZH2 takes a lot of abuse, and is often labeled as a dreaded oncogene , but like a movie villain who redeems themselves in the end, the histone methyltransferase isn’t all evil. According to two new papers published simultaneously in Nature Genetics, EZH2 may in fact function as a tumor suppressor in some blood cancers. […]
HIV miRNA Evolution at Lighting SpeedJuly 1, 2010The HIV reverse transcriptase is known to have a notoriously high error rate. In fact, if your office photocopier was that sloppy, you’d probably end up doing your own version of the classic copier-smashing scene from the movie Office Space. But the shoddy workmanship of HIV’s genome-copying enzyme actually benefits the virus by allowing it […]
Butyrate Boosts iPS Derivation via Epigenetic RemodelingJune 24, 2010Sometimes we all need a little boost to improve productivity, whether it’s a mid-afternoon Snickers bar or a venti quadruple-shot latte to jump start a weary mind. It turns out that human fibroblasts also like a little something extra to help them reprogram into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Researchers at Johns Hopkins University led […]
miRNAs Duped by Pseudogene DecoysJune 23, 2010Wouldn’t we all like to have a decoy, a look-alike who could stand in for us during life’s unpleasant moments? You know, like being forced to watch the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, or standing in line for 6+ hours at the DMV? A research effort spear-headed by Laura Poliseno at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical […]