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CpH Methylation Gets A Tissue Specific Makeover

June 15, 2015

In the latest show of the power of teamwork we see some of the biggest names in epigenetics join forces to unravel the mysteries of the methylome across different tissues, including the molecular cartographers who tackled the brain and the researchers who brought forth the predictive powers of Epigram. The talented team from the Salk Institute and UCSD have […]

A TAD of Disruption Shows the Importance of Boundaries

June 1, 2015

If you’ve ever seen a polydactyl cat you might (understandably) live in fear of cats with thumbs. If we want to prevent the takeover by our feline friends we need to understand the cause of this limb anomaly. Luckily, researchers led by Stefan Mundlos have done just that by asking if 3D chromosome structure data […]

DNAi Combines Self-Destructing DNA with CRISPR

May 29, 2015

Have you ever watched a spy move and felt yourself craving spy gadgets, such as explosive chewing gum, or a tricked out Aston Martin? Well if you are a genome-engineering scientist you can now get your very own spy gadget – self-destructing DNA! But this cool creation isn’t just to fulfill your 007 dreams, it […]

miRNA-Switches Makes Stem Cell Selection Pure and Simple

May 28, 2015

As any sports coach, hopeful lottery winner, or child in a candy store will tell you, an effective selection strategy is vitally important to a successful outcome. Selection is also an important concept for scientists and clinicians hoping to take advantage of the ability that human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have to differentiate into multiple […]

MINimize Your Genome Engineering Efforts with CRISPR and Bxb1

May 28, 2015

CRISPR is for genome engineering what Mike Tyson was for boxing: simple, efficient and almost a guarantee to see a knockout in the first round. While in boxing a knockout typically results in an involuntary power nap of the opponent, the phenotype of a gene knockout is often not so clear-cut. Besides potential problems caused […]

Could Chromatin Organization be the Key to Eternal Youth?

May 13, 2015

For thousands of years great men such as Alexander the Great and Ponce de León have searched far and wide in their search for the fountain of youth and the hope of eternal life. But where they previously failed, an enterprising group of scientists may have now just succeeded! A report published recently in Science […]

Twins Team Up to Help Unravel DNA Methylation in Schizophrenia

May 12, 2015

While they can’t see through lead or stop bullets with their chest, twins do have a superpower of their own – when it comes to unraveling the complex genomic and epigenomic changes underlying diseases and disorders. In their latest adventure monozygotic twins are helping to understand the DNA methylation changes associated with schizophrenia. The epigenomics of […]

A TET-à-TET Between SIRT6 and 5hmC Controls Embryonic Stem Cell Fate

May 12, 2015

With many political parties fighting it out for influence in the UK general election last week, it is nice to see the spirit of cooperation alive and well in embryonic stem cells. In their latest study, Raul Mostoslavsky and colleagues show that two giants of epigenetic regulation, histone acetylation and DNA hydroxymethylation, team up to […]

6mA Makes the Grade as a Eukaryotic Epigenetic Mark

May 12, 2015

There’s no denying that we love DNA methylation, so we are delighted to learn of another form of DNA methylation that has come on the scene as an epigenetic mark. N6-Methyladenosine (6mA or m6A) refers to the methylation of adenosine at its nitrogen-6 position, as opposed to 5mC and related oxidative marks (5hmC, 5fC, 5caC) that occur on […]

Upcycling the Epigenome in the Brain Help Neurons Stay in Touch

May 5, 2015

Upcycling is the latest of many green crazes where people keep hold of old furniture and instead of throwing it away, they repurpose it to give new life. It seems that the brain might be doing the same for methylation. It’s been a long held belief that DNA methylation is fixed in differentiated cells, yet there is […]