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Epigenetic Hole-in-One: Methylation of a Single CpG Disrupts GATA-1 Binding and Regulates Gene Expression

June 11, 2020

The GATA-1 transcription factor is like the Tiger Woods of the erythroid cell lineage, topping the leaderboard and driving the expression of important developmental genes. Other molecular competitors, like the NuRD complex, are already on the course, but a new study shows how methylation of a single CpG is able to score a hole-in-one to […]

Dynamic Modeling of DNA Methylation “Turnover” Reveals Tasty Epigenetic Morsels

June 11, 2020

While the word “turnover” may send the culinary-minded to the kitchen and the business-savvy straight to the accounts books, epigeneticists studying the turnover of DNA methylation have been left between a rock and a hard place! Researchers are in this unappetizing predicament as while we can accurately paint a genome-wide picture of DNA methylation levels, […]

A Rewired Metabolism Links the Aging Epigenome to Vision Loss

May 16, 2020

They say hindsight is 20/20, but for those of us looking over at a lifetime of memories, things might seem a little blurrier through our aging eyes. That’s because, unlike the fine wines, delectable whiskies, and smelly cheeses that we love to catabolize, the human epigenome tends not to age very well and a wide […]

Preprint Alert: Single-nucleus Mouse Brain Atlases of DNA Methylation and Chromatin Accessibility

May 15, 2020

When exploring the epigenetic landscape, it’s easy to get lost in the jungle of cell types. Thankfully, some exciting new preprints now bring forth much needed single-nucleus atlases to guide your voyage of the mouse brain. We’re no strangers to cunning cartography that has emerged from the lab of Joe Ecker (Salk Institute, California). They’ve […]

Cannabis and Tobacco Produce a Double Hit on the Epigenome

May 12, 2020

While the epigenetic impacts of cannabis have been seen in sperm and adolescents, the effects on adults have not been well studied in large-scale studies. It’s commonly believed that smoking cannabis is less damaging than smoking tobacco; however, this is not backed by an abundance of actual data. Smoking tobacco is associated with numerous DNA […]

There’s More Than One Way to Scare A Mouse: Z-DNA and ADAR1 Add to Fear Extinction

May 5, 2020

There’s already some histone modifications, and a dash of non-coding RNA, but new research adds another ingredient to the epigenetic recipe of fear memories and it’s called Z-DNA! Z-DNA occurs when the DNA molecule forms a left-handed double helix rather than the right-handed structure that we’re used to. This inside-out conformation is enriched at actively […]

Adolescent Cannabis Use Primes an Epigenetic Gateway to Cocaine Addiction

May 2, 2020

When it comes to preparing for a future situation, our epigenome usually has our back; however, sometimes epigenetic alterations can prime some undesirable responses as a result of environmental exposure. With legalization occurring in many states and nations, research into how cannabis alters our epigenome has entered the spotlight. We have recently seen that cannabis […]

How the Journey Towards Sperm Maturation Can Leave Offspring Stressed Out!

April 23, 2020

Queues! Security! Lost passports! While many will be currently reminiscing about the fun and frolics enjoyed during old holidays to far-flung exotic destinations, we generally choose to forget the enduring stress of the outward journey. However, a fascinating new study now provides evidence that any stress endured by maturing sperm during their epic voyage is […]

Dop(Ey)mine: The Seventh Dwarf Of Histone Modifications Makes A Big Impact In The Brain

April 19, 2020

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the newest histone modification of all? We know that methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquination, and even citrullination have been toiling away in the chromatin mines, but a new study from the brainy team who discovered serotonylation suggests that dopamine is also hard at work on histone tails, where it highlights […]

Tet3 Acts Against Anxiety in Forebrain Neurons

March 27, 2020

While there are a lot of reasons to anxious these days, thankfully our neurons are using epigenetics to respond and adapt to the barrage of new information in our environment. In fact, DNA cytosine hydroxymethylation (5hmC) might be necessary to keep cognition in check, and a new research suggests that one of the enzymes that […]