Reactivating “Fossil” Enhancers from Embryonic Development in Adult TissuesApril 10, 2019The Jurassic Park movies got the whole world excited about resurrecting dinosaurs from fossilized DNA, but more recent findings that the half-life of DNA is only 521 years mean that dream is science fiction. So, while the finer details of dinosaur genomes may be lost in the fossil record, new work has dug up epigenomic […]
Inflammation in the Information Age: Multi-Tissue Chromatin and Transcriptional States of Mammalian AgingMarch 26, 2019We’re living in the information age―the age of supercomputers, big data, and machine learning―and the epigenetics field is capitalizing on these capabilities. New research from the lab of Anne Brunet at Stanford University harnesses the power of the ‘information age’ to provide insight on the ‘inflammation age’―that is, changes in the epigenetic landscape that lead […]
Not Just Idle Chit-chat! – Histone and RNA Methylation Crosstalk Regulates Gene ExpressionMarch 24, 2019While many see chit-chat and gossip as a tiresome but inevitable part of life, epigenetic eavesdropping has recently demonstrated that the tight regulation of gene expression relies on some close-quarters methylation crosstalk! The molecular back-and-forth uncovered occurs between the transcription elongation-associated H3K36me3 histone modification and the prevalent and essential post-transcriptional N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA modification. So […]
Histone Methylation Has a New Sidekick and Its Name is Serotonin!March 17, 2019Watch out epigenomic evil-doers, histone H3 has a new sidekick to help it keep gene regulation in shape. By day, serotonin can be found in its traditional role as a neurotransmitter; being released by cells of the nervous system and binding to specific receptors to impact a wide range of functions, from cognition to gut motility. […]
New Sequencing Technique TAPS into Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiles Without the BSMarch 12, 2019While trying to uncover the mysteries of the DNA methylation, a lot of BS is often required. And no, we’re not talking about workplace politics but rather sodium bisulfite (BS) conversion. Thankfully, the labs of Chun-Xiao Song and Benjamin Schuster-Böckler at Oxford University (UK) have developed a new “BS-free” approach to uncover the secrets of the […]
Don’t Turn the Other Cheek on Heterogeneity in Buccal Cell SamplesMarch 12, 2019When it comes to brushing, whether it’s your teeth or a cheek swab sample, proper technique is important. Your dentist may have already told you not to brush you teeth too hard, but it turns out how you collect a cheek swab is also important. Buccal epithelial cells are perhaps the most clinically accessible tissue […]
Think Different – Alternatively Spliced Histone Variant Points to Epigenetic Control of Telomere LengtheningMarch 12, 2019While many prefer matters to be straightforward, some prefer to think “outside the box” and conjure up an alternative to the norm. Cancer cells are much the same; while most remain on the straight and narrow and employ the telomerase holoenzyme complex to maintain their telomeres, a significant fraction go their own way and use […]
EZH2 Gets a TAD Involved in CancerFebruary 26, 2019In the Venn diagram of epigenetics and cancer biology, EZH2 sits perfectly in the overlap. This methyltransferase is responsible for tri-methylation of lysine 27 on histone 3 (H3K27me3) but is also an oncogene, mutated in a variety ofhumancancers. H3K27me3 is a marker of inactive chromatin domains, specifically topologically associating domains (TADs), and has been linked to […]
When Two Is Not Better Than One: Duplicitous Dipeptides Disrupt Heterochromatin to Promote NeurodegenerationFebruary 25, 2019While some protein aficionados may believe that the only thing better than one peptide is a dipeptide, a study from the lab of Leonard Petrucelli (Mayo Clinic, USA) recently established that the expansion of double-dealing dipeptide repeats promotes the development of neurodegenerative disease via the disruption of heterochromatin structure and function. The diseases in question, […]
Orange You Glad for Methylation’s Role in Fruit Ripening?February 12, 2019If you like to start your day with a glass of orange juice, you can thank epigenetics for that. More specifically, you can thank DNA methylation, since it’s been recently shown to play a crucial role in the ripening process of the sweet orange fruit. The collaborative efforts of Jian-Kang Zhu at Purdue University (Indiana, […]