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A Long non-coding RNA Superhero is GUARDIN our Genome from DNA Damage!

April 4, 2018

Batman swoops through Gotham, Supergirl flies over National City, and the Black Panther keeps his keen eyes on Wakanda; every superhero acts as a guardian of the beloved place they call home, protecting from any number of devious and dastardly threats. Now, researchers from the laboratory of Xu Dong Zhang and Mian Wu (Henan Provincial […]

Hemimethylated CpGs: Paradox or Paradigm?!

March 28, 2018

Science is full of paradoxes, and while we humble epigeneticists have yet to come across a cat that is both alive and dead, we have discovered a mysterious states of DNA methylation! For instance, some CpG sites can be both methylated and unmethylated at the same time, depending on which strand it is located on. […]

CRISPR Live-cell Imaging Captures CLINGing Chromosomes

March 28, 2018

An old teddy bear with an eye missing, a dog-eared children’s book, or a ragged musty-smelling blanket; we all “cling” on to certain treasured objects, although we usually wish to keep them secret from the world! However, this isn’t the case for researchers from the laboratory of John Rinn (Harvard University, Cambridge, USA), who have […]

Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of a Trio of Epigenomic Changes Induced by DDT

March 27, 2018

DNA methylation has long been the shining star of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance work, with other mechanisms signing backup. But now, the solo act has now become a trio, with histone modifications and non-coding (ncRNA) stepping into the limelight. For an in utero exposure to be truly transgenerational, and not an intergenerational effect, it must impact […]

Embrace Your Age! Age-related H4K16ac Gains Protect Your Brain from Developing Alzheimer’s Disease

March 19, 2018

In our quest for the fountain of youth, we often find ourselves attracted to anything that will fight off the signs of aging. But now, the first genome-wide analysis of a specific histone modification in the brains of human patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) demonstrates that we should embrace the epigenetic changes that come […]

Epigenetics Meets Cartography: Precision Mapping of Single Nucleosomes and Linkers

March 14, 2018

While we’ve asked before how nucleosomes find their way to the right spot on DNA, sometimes we’re left staring at sea monsters in the most tantalizing unexplored areas on our genome-wide maps. When it comes to nucleosomes, positioning is everything since it affects DNA accessibility for replication, repair, and gene expression. In order to understand […]

Old Fathers Pass on an Unwanted Aging DNA Methylation Profile to the Next Generation

March 1, 2018

Great looks, a well-worn leather jacket, and a wide-ranging collection of old vinyl records represent great examples of inheritances that fathers happily pass on to their grateful children. However, new findings from the lab of Dan Ehninger (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany) show that older dads can also pass on an intergenerational effect […]

The Single-Cell Trifecta: Nucleosome Occupancy, DNA Methylation, and Gene Expression

February 27, 2018

While recent advancements let us map the epigenome of a single-cell, the same studies can leave us a bit single-minded when facing the many layers of the epigenetic landscape. Thankfully, to quench our integrative omics thirst, a clever new technique reveals that just because you’re looking at single cells doesn’t mean you only need to […]

dCas9-Tet1 to the Rescue: Maintained DNA Demethylation of Fragile X Syndrome Neurons

February 26, 2018

The call for a rescue operation often makes humanity turn to its latest and greatest tools and equipment. Whether it’s firefighters with water jetpacks or cutting-edge epigenetic editing technology, threats to human kind don’t have it easy these days. In their latest report, the epigenetic emergency response team from the labs of Rudolf Jaenisch and […]

Placeholder Nucleosomes Prevent DNA Methylation to Promote Embryo Progress!

February 26, 2018

After coming up against an impassable obstacle, researchers often need to hold their place in one research line and open up another to explore new investigational avenues and uncover new and unexpected findings. The study of epigenetics during fertilization and the early development of human embryos remains a challenging task on multiple levels, thus making […]