Location, Location, Location! – How Site-specific mRNA ac4C Acetylation Impacts TranslationJune 29, 2022Where you spend your time away from work – a lake-side cottage far from the hustle and bustle or a party pad in the bohemian part of town – is a crucial decision. Now, new research on roaming RNAs demonstrates that when you call the epitranscriptome your home, the age-old rule “location, location, location” also […]
Dr. Steve Chan: The Epigenetic Regulation of Breast CancerJune 9, 2022Using unbiased ChIP-Rx analyses to discover a novel role for CTR9 in the epigenetic regulation of PRC2 subtype switching in breast cancer Our colleagues at Proteintech hosted a webinar from Dr. Steve Chan from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, who reviewed their recent paper “The transcriptional elongation factor CTR9 demarcates PRC2-mediated H3K27me3 domains by altering PRC2 […]
The Long and the Short of It – Long DNMT3A1 Isoform Binds Bivalent Neurodevelopmental ChromatinMay 23, 2022Sometimes it’s best to get straight to the point, so let’s dive into this study of DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3A) isoforms with variable lengths, which reveals a chromatin interaction domain that regulates bivalent gene expression and supports early postnatal survival in mice! Previous studies that didn’t beat around the bush described how postnatal development requires […]
Epigenetic Editing Approach Causally Connects Adolescent Alcohol Exposure to Psychiatric Disorder RiskMay 23, 2022The modularity of current epigenetic editing technology allows us to evaluate the causality of connections from multiple angles. Now, epigenetic editing in rats using dCas9 activators and repressors has provided a welcome new perspective on how adolescent drinking can induce the onset of psychiatric conditions in adults. Binge drinking during adolescence (a critical period for […]
NANOG’s Prion-like Behavior Builds Bridges to PluripotencyMay 11, 2022In both the literal and figurative sense, building bridges can really get you places! Knowing this, genome engineers and epigenetic architects recently created a blueprint demonstrating how a pioneer transcription factor – NANOG – uses prion-like behavior to form gel-like protein condensates that create interstrand DNA “bridges” to reorganize chromatin and clear a rapid path […]
EPIC Technique Infers Gene Expression from Cell-free DNA FragmentationMay 9, 2022It’s time to put down that well-thumbed copy of Homer’s Odyssey, as there is a new epic in town. Now, the “epigenetic expression inference from cell-free (cf)DNA-sequencing” (EPIC-seq) technique heroically enables gene expression analysis using a process known as “fragmentomics.” Circulating cfDNA comes as nucleosome-associated fragments that reflect the chromatin configuration in the cell of […]
Battling Against the Clock: Epigenetic Age Acceleration Impacts COVID-19 SeverityMay 2, 2022Timing is crucial for many aspects of life, and now, a rather timely study demonstrates that the acceleration of our epigenetic clocks after SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly impacts our risk of suffering severe COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome (“long COVID”). Previous research has described how older patients suffer from a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 (independent […]
Rixosomes Take Out RNA to Keep Silent Polycomb-target Genes Quiet!May 2, 2022Some pesky Polycomb-target genes know too much about genome-wide goings-on, and while these nervous sections of DNA might keep silent for now, how can we ensure that our cells maintain this code of silence? It turns out that human cells, just as in yeast, possess an enforcer that mercilessly chops up RNA messages produced from […]
EpiDamID Contains a Flood of Histone Modification Findings from Single Cells!May 2, 2022Lately, we’ve been faced with a veritable torrent of awesome single-cell epigenomics methods; thankfully, the development of a new technique – EpiDamID – promises to easily contain the floods of findings regarding histone modification and gene expression patterns coming from single cells! Previously, a talented team from the lab of Jop Kind (Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, […]
Cell Surface Protein Profiling Gives Single-cell CUT&Tag a Pro UpgradeApril 25, 2022Nothing beats a Pro upgrade, and lately, researchers have given CUT&Tag the deluxe treatment. This chromatin profiling method received its first improvements with the releases of scCUT&Tag and then Spatial-CUT&Tag; now, we’ve been treated to a view of the cell surface protein profile in its latest form. A pro team of single-cell explorers from the […]