Mind Games: Sorting Out Brain Cell-type Specific MethylationSeptember 10, 2013The human brain is the prime example of “highly specialized and diverse functions arising from the same genetic program.” But that comes at steep price. Our most complex organ is, well…very complex. Not only do it’s epigenetic marks constantly change both spatially and temporally but it’s also mainly and almost equally composed of two very […]
Decoding the Molecular Mechanisms of lncRNA XISTSeptember 6, 2013Fast on the heels of a major epigenetic engineering breakthrough revealing that XIST can help treat the symptoms of Down’s syndrome, Dr. Carolyn Brown (University of British Columbia) and crew sought to find out exactly what’s going on at the molecular level with this complex lncRNA. Their experimentation started with they hypothesis that “long ncRNAs […]
One Man’s Junk DNA is Another’s Intronic microRNASeptember 3, 2013Introns have a bad rap these days. Sequestered with the rest of the (epi)genome in the term ‘junk’ DNA’; A reductionist way of describing 95% of our beloved genome as useless. But as new evidence keeps pointing out, introns and ‘non-coding’ regions actually code for most of the genomes products and/or function. In recently published […]
Webinar: Life Long Changes in DNA Methylation & ncRNAs in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)August 22, 2013Western University’s Ben Laufer (Ph.D. Candidate) discusses how bioinformatic software was used to establish that even moderate exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, equivalent to a few beers every now and then, can produce profound and heritable variations in development, behaviour, and learning that are maintained in the exposed fetus for a lifetime by altered epigenetic […]
R-loops: RNA-DNA Hybrids Making Noise on Silenced GenesAugust 21, 2013Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome are like two-peas-in-a-pod, the textbook cases of the power of genomic imprinting. However, some consider them to be distinct genetic disorders that are grouped together, as Dr. Janine LaSalle (UC Davis) puts it; “Only because of the shared chromosomal location of deletions to 15q11-13 and ‘quirky’ oppositely imprinted inheritance patterns.” […]
MECP2 Therapy Deployed to Reverse Rett Syndrome SymptomsAugust 21, 2013They say that cats have nine lives. If that’s true then the idea of ‘Gene Therapy’ must be part feline. Despite several hurdles over the years, gene therapy once again captured the spotlight; this time by demonstrating that replacing mutated MECP2 can reverse the symptoms of Rett Syndrome in mice. The new research led by […]
Genomic Editing and lncRNAs Team Up Against Down’s SyndromeAugust 20, 2013According to breakthrough research, families affected by Down’s Syndrome may one day have the opportunity to alleviate many of the syndrome’s harmful aspects. Regardless of the ethical concerns around this treatment, which we won’t debate here, we think just the approach and mechanism developed within this study are worthy of a shout out. A cunning […]
Methylation Maps Pinpoint Epigenetic Differences in Human TissuesAugust 19, 2013It’s easy to get overwhelmed by just how much data an epigenome can hold. It’s hard to decide exactly where to start studying DNA methylation. Assaying every CpG site in the genome just isn’t practical for most researchers and a lot of money is spent on obtaining uninformative data. “Owing to the relatively small fraction […]
Fetal Stress: The Imprinting of GenerationsAugust 13, 2013Stress gets to us all on occasion. Whether it’s the more familiar stress that leads to hair-tearing-out, or some other version like coping with a bully, plants dealing with temperature changes, or even alcohol exposure as a fetus, stress has been shown to have profound effects on individuals down to an epigenetic level. But as […]
RRBS Dives Deep into Zebrafish Brain MethylomesAugust 12, 2013Get ready for the Zebrafishnado! OK, a tornado filled with cute little aquarium fish isn’t nearly as terrifying as a Sharknado, but a whirlwind of new data on zebrafish methylomes did reveal that their DNA methylation patterns are pretty unique compared to other species, including humans. Scientists from New Zealand realized that no one had […]