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DNA Methylation is a Plus for Many Transcription Factors

June 6, 2017

When it comes to transcription factor binding, DNA methylation has a reputation as a trouble maker. When most people think of DNA methylation, they think of it blocking proteins from being able to bind. But does it deserve the bad rap? Though there are some examples of DNA methylation promoting binding of certain transcription factors […]

Optogenetics and Smartphone Technology Combine to Provide Personalized Diabetes Treatment

May 2, 2017

They help organize our schedules, they keep us in touch with good (and bad) friends, and they barely leave our sides throughout the day. But can we exploit the ubiquitous nature of smartphones to facilitate personalized treatment of human disease? This is the hope of researchers from the laboratory of Haifeng Ye (East China Normal […]

Cyborg Sperm Target Cancer

April 19, 2017

Yes, you read that correctly, researchers from the lab of Oliver G. Schmidt (IFW Dresden, Germany) have developed a half-biological, half-mechanical cancer-killing cyborg based on the humble spermatozoa. Specifically, the extremely virile research team loaded sperm with a cargo of chemotherapeutic drugs and provided each wriggler with a specially designed metallic harness to allow magnetic […]

Drive the LINE: H4K20me3 Beats DNA Methylation at LINE-1 Chimeric Transcripts in Colorectal Cancer

April 10, 2017

The drivers of gene expression maintain a fragile balance that tends to cross the LINE in cancer. LINE-1s are transposable elements full of both mystery and regulatory potential. Within their 5’ untranslated region (UTR) lies a bidirectional promoter (L1-5’UTR) that consists of a sense promoter (L1-SP), which transcribes the element, and an antisense promoter (L1-ASP), which […]

Rapid m6A RNA Methylation Soothes Your Molecular Sunburns

April 10, 2017

Now that has spring has sprung, many of us are quickly remembering not only how much we missed the sunshine, but also that we forgot to stock up on aloe vera to soothe that fresh sunburn. Attesting to the utility of a good spot treatment, the lab of Yang Shi at Harvard Medical School reveals […]

Genome Architecture of Single Cells May Shape Reprogramming to Totipotency

April 5, 2017

The soaring Eiffel Tower in Paris, the tumultuous Guggenheim in Bilbao, or the intricate genome structure of a single cell; which architectural marvel impresses you the most? For the labs of Leonid A. Mirny and Kikuë Tachibana-Konwalski, the latter looms above any such extravagant edifice, but the available analytical tools lacked the resolution required for […]

CLEVER Technique Maps the 5-Formylcytosine Landscape during DNA Demethyation

March 31, 2017

Mapping an undulating, dynamic, and partially hidden landscape represents a vexing problem to say the least, especially when the landmarks of interest are rare DNA demethylation by-products in a single cell! This is the task faced by those intrepid explorers hoping to map the genome-wide location of 5-formylcytosine (5fC), a fleetingly rare oxidized form of […]

GAM SLICEs Through Enhancer Threesomes

March 24, 2017

While chromosome conformation capture (3C) methods like single-cell Hi-C focus on coupled pairs of chromosome contacts, and even their promiscuous regions, candid snapshots of chromosomal threesomes have remained an intimate secret … until now. The genomic architects in the labs of Ana Pombo and Mario Nicodemi developed a new method and accompanying statistical model to […]

CAGE Releases an Accurate Atlas of lncRNA Origin and Function

March 21, 2017

Don’t you just hate when you’re trying to get from A to B and google maps can’t even figure out where you’re starting from? Well, just like your last trip to that hot new sushi place, the precise location of lncRNA origins has only been plotted with blurry lines. Thankfully, to aid the start of […]

Gene Body DNA Methylation Keeps Cells Fit and Healthy

March 9, 2017

Boots, check! Helmet, check! DNA Methylation, check? Any active individual will tell you that protecting your body is an integral part of keeping fit and healthy while enjoying your sport of choice. In the über-competitive world of DNA, a study from the teams of Francesco Neri and Salvatore Oliviero has proposed that DNA methylation on […]