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AtacWorks: Deep Learning Levels Up ATAC-seq with Graphics Processing Units

March 19, 2021

It turns out that those graphics cards in our computers aren’t just great for gaming, they can also push your epigenomic research to the next level. When industry meets academia, we can all win and thanks to an exciting collaboration between the graphics processing unit (GPU) inventors at NVIDIA and the lab of ATAC-seq inventor […]

The Epitranscriptomic Results Are In: To Be Queen Bee, First Eat the Royal Jelly

March 19, 2021

It must be jelly, royal jelly. Giving new meaning to the adage “you are what you eat”, exciting epitranscriptomic findings have us buzzing about how diet influences larval development and royal status in honeybees. In a process known as caste differentiation, female honeybees fed different diets become either sterile workers or fertile queens. These bees […]

A Pre-emptive Epigenetic Strike Can Stop Transplants from Going Viral!

March 10, 2021

While social media mavens may consider “going viral” the zenith of their existence, latent virus reactivation represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant patients. Now, in an extremely “likable” study, a tweetable team of researchers has described how epigenetic inhibitors may be an efficient means of selectively purging viral reservoirs before transplantation […]

dCas9-dMSK1 Provides the Potent Power of Programmable Histone Phosphorylation

February 20, 2021

Time to move over histone methylation, the potent activating power of programmable histone phosphorylation joins the dCas9 epigenome editing toolbox and shows how it takes histone acetylation along for the ride. A rather active team of researchers led by Isaac B. Hilton (Rice University, Houston, TX, USA) knew that phosphorylation represents one of the most […]

Stat3 is a Mitochondrial Mastermind Behind Metabolic Control of DNA Methylation in Naïve Stem Cells

February 15, 2021

We’ve seen that mitochondria can modify nuclear DNA methylation, but until recently, the identities of the masterminds behind how the powerhouse of the cell can affect epigenetic change in the nucleus have remained classified. Although Stat3 is most notably recruited by LIF to activate the pluripotency gene network in the nucleus, we also know that LIF […]

It Takes Two to Tango: Histone Serotonylation Partners with H3K4me3 to Regulate Gene Expression

February 15, 2021

While epigenetic research has often linked single histone modifications to transcriptional outputs, new research in neurons now shows that “it takes two to tango” and a little serotonin, classically known as a neurotransmitter, keeps the transcriptional tango going strong. Specifically, a free-stepping study that discovered histone serotonylation previously associated an adjacent enrichment of the lysine […]

Not Your Mother’s Mary-Jane: CBD Messes with the Prenatal Mouse Brain DNA Methylome

February 8, 2021

The times sure have changed since Woodstock ’69. Instead of having to hide their stash from the nearest authority figures, cannabis enthusiasts have been given the greenlight by the recent legalization of cannabis products across the globe. In fact, studies suggest that cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis, can be helpful in treating anything […]

Big Things Come in Small Packages: Nanobodies Enter the Epigenetic Editing Ring

February 4, 2021

While we have seen many contenders for the title of heavyweight champion in the epigenetic editing ring, the adage “big things come in small packages” has taken on a new meaning. Nanobodies, or single-domain antibodies, demonstrate that featherweights can pack an explosive epigenetic editing punch by using their opponents’ momentum against them. Researchers led by […]

EpiGo-KRAB: A New, Live-action Tool to Edit and Visualize Heterochromatin Formation in Living Color

January 26, 2021

Like any live-action remake, vibrant colors are essential for a new epigenetic editing tool that simultaneously introduces H3K9me3 at hundreds of targeted loci while also allowing for HD visualization of the heterochromatic results. Now, let’s meet the stars of this show that were cast by a team led by Hanhui Ma from ShanghaiTech University. H3K9me3 […]

Sperm Throw “Three-pointers” to Ensure Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance

January 26, 2021

In the game of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, many labs have been searching for a slam dunk. Now, in a game-changing new article, ballers from the laboratory of Michael K. Skinner (Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA) provide a play-by-play of how teamwork between non-coding RNA expression, DNA methylation, and histone modifications allows rat sperm to […]