If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Tri-CNovember 13, 2018It’s easy to think that at this point, science has it all figured out. We’ve developed genome-wide techniques to look at chromosome structure in many different contexts: from mapping chromatin interactions (Hi-C), to observing DNA-RNA interactions (SPRITE), and even identifying higher-order DNA structures (GAM). Unfortunately, none of these techniques have the resolution to look at […]
Smooth as Silc1: A ncRNA Lnc to Nerve RegenerationNovember 6, 2018When it comes to nerve damage, the mammalian peripheral nervous system (PNS) is arms and legs ahead of the central nervous system (CNS) in its ability to regenerate damaged neurons. While neuroscientists already knew that the PNS has an innate ability to express pro-regenerative transcription factors after injury, a new paper has the nerve to […]
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! – Study of Extra-Telomeric Roles of hTR Uncovers Histone mRNA-Mediated Telomere Homeostasis!November 6, 2018When it comes to our telomeres, we are often left with the feeling that a little bit extra is better. However, a new article which just crossed our paths had a little bit of “extra” that turned our heads: a study of the extra-telomeric functions of the human telomerase RNA component (hTR). hTR contains a […]
Histonagram: C. elegans Sperm Carry a Histone Memory of Spermatogenesis and OogenesisOctober 31, 2018While Instagram may have replaced the Polaroid, some age-old memories just can’t be shaken. Thankfully, the sperm epigenome of C. elegans has conjured up the latest social media trend, the histonagram: a histone based memory of spermatogenesis and oogenesis that shapes offspring fertility. Although C. elegans differ from us humans in that they don’t make use […]
Paradigm Shift for Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects at Retrotransposons: The Exception Rather than the Rule?October 30, 2018While friendly customer service and helpful views in article comments sections may once have been ubiquitous occurrences, they now, unfortunately, seem to be the exception rather than the rule. This trend extends to some of our favorite epigenetic topics, where a team led by Anne C. Ferguson-Smith (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) now provides paradigm-breaking […]
H3K27ac Histone Acetylome-Wide Association Study Enhances our Knowledge of Alzheimer’s Disease BrainOctober 30, 2018When it comes to the complex disorders associated with aging, our knowledge could always use some enhancement. Thankfully, a new histone acetylome-wide association study (HAWAS) of H3K27ac establishes that this mark of active enhancers can also enhance our knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The role of histone acetylation in healthy aging and AD has begun […]
A Microbiome-Sensitive H3K4me3 Profile Predicts Intestinal Inflammation in Crohn’s DiseaseOctober 30, 2018While our microbiome serves up the metabolites required for our histone modifications, new findings establish that this agglomeration of microorganisms can also serve up a dish most foul; one that induces a severe type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) known as Crohn’s disease. Although studies have established a link between alterations to the microbiome and […]
New Enzymatic Bisulfite Alternative ACEs the CompetitionOctober 30, 2018Sodium bisulfite is the undisputed king of DNA methylation research; and this king has been played over and over for years now. But a lot of players in the field are looking for something better, and the only thing that can trump a king is an ace, in this case ACE-seq. The active enzymatic demethylation […]
Genome Organization Fashions an Immune-evading Parasite CoatOctober 24, 2018One might describe Trypanosoma brucei as a moderately fashionable parasite, as it changes its outer coat faster than models can strut their stuff down the exclusive catwalks in Paris or Milan! Other than making this troublesome unicellular protozoan look very sharp, its ever-changing coat helps it to keep out of reach of the host immune system […]
CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Deletion of Imprinted Genes Enables Same-Sex Reproduction in MiceOctober 23, 2018Having the birds and bees talk can be a little awkward for some parents, but at least the rules were straight forward. Well one of those basic rules—that you need a sperm and an egg to make an embryo—just isn’t true anymore. A seminal discovery in mammalian genetics was that fertilization in mice required maternal […]