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Ever get that feeling that you forgot something? Well maybe you did, but it doesn't have to be recent epigenetics research if you scope out our Headlines each week.

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A CRISPR Way to Create Fusions

October 31, 2014

As CRISPR continues to evolve into the laboratory version of a Swiss Army Knife, it’s not surprising that another innovative research team have used the approach in a slick way; in this case to engineer of oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements. Chromosomal rearrangements, gene fusions, deletions and inversions are classical hallmarks of cancer. These re-arrangements lead to […]

‘Naïve’ Human Embryonic Stem Cells Found in Culture

October 31, 2014

Cultured human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) already have some idea of what they want to be when they grow up whereas cultured mouse ESCs are completely undecided about their future careers. A study published in Nature challenges this distinction and shows that some hESCs in culture still haven’t quite made up their minds. Mouse ESCs […]

Optimized Stem Cell Differentiation Protocol Aims to Mend Broken Hearts

October 30, 2014

Broken hearts aren’t just for country songs. Millions of people die each year from cardiovascular disease and related complications. Damage to the muscles of the heart during events such as heart attacks is mostly irreversible and severely affects length and quality of life for those who survive. Creating replacement muscle cells – or cardiomyocytes – […]

Histone Modification Reading Domains Crack Complex Combos

October 30, 2014

Having alternatives is always great, particularly when it comes to studying histone modifications. By using some recombinant proteins of histone reading domains, researchers from the lab of Albert Jeltsch at Stuttgart University (Germany) recently demonstrated that these domains might just one-up antibodies when it comes to deciphering the combos of the histone code. Lead author Goran Kungulovski shares that “Histone […]

Developmental Origin of Schizophrenia-Associated DNA Methylation

October 30, 2014

Schizophrenia is one complex disease, with a number of subtypes and an origin unknown. However, despite it’s complexity, recent evidence points toward an interaction between genes and environment that are mediated by the epigenome. Further adding to the complexity is the fact that most patients are treated with powerful antipsychotics that also remodel the epigenome in […]

Pol II Gives Cells Pause During Somatic Cell Reprogramming

October 27, 2014

Few inventions have led the convenience revolution more so than the remote control. The Pause, Play, and Fast-forward buttons give us complete command of our entertainment while we relax after a hard day at work. But little did we know that researchers from the group of Miguel A. Esteban (Chinese Academy of Sciences) haven’t been […]

m6A RNA Methylation Modifications Helps Cells to Forget Stem Cell Past

October 25, 2014

When it comes to post-translational modifications, it’s fair to say that DNA and proteins have taken most of the limelight in epigenetics. RNA modifications have been largely relegated to the role of supporting actor. Not content with nucleosomes taking all the credit, a team of Stanford and Harvard researchers now demonstrate the importance of RNA […]

Pluripotency Genes are Loopy about their Neighborhood

October 25, 2014

Most of us understand the importance of a good neighborhood; we look for somewhere to reflect our identity and to bring us together with similar minded people. Interestingly, recent work from the labs of Keji Zhao and Richard A. Young suggests that certain genes in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) act in a similar manner. The inquisitive crew of […]

Sweet Success: Is a Viable Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes in the Works?

October 18, 2014

Could we be near a bona fide treatment for a disease which affects over 300 million people? A remedy for the Case of the Mondays perhaps? No, it’s better than that; researchers from Harvard University believe that they might have uncovered a new strategy to replace lost insulin secreting cells of the pancreas (b cells) […]

Natural Disasters Impact DNA Methylation

October 16, 2014

As Polar Vortex II approaches, you’ll be interested in a recent study highlighting the impact of environment stressors on the epigenome. Prenatal maternal stress exposure is known to adversely affect offspring in a number of ways, depending on the nature of the exposure, but is typically studied in common exposures like diet, alcohol, and lead. But this has left the […]