Building Layers of Epigenome and Transcriptome Spatial Information in Single CellsMarch 27, 2023Layers make things a lot more interesting—a cake with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry layers is much more decadent than a single-tier vanilla one. And now the labs of Rong Fan (Yale University), Gonçalo Castelo-Branco (Karolinska Institute), and Yanxlang Deng (now at University of Pennsylvania) have put the icing on the cake with a new paper […]
H3K4 Methylation Loss Makes RNAPII Pause for ThoughtMarch 27, 2023With mice with two dads, crystal clear images of dying stars, and the rise of ChatGPT being daily news items, does anything make you “pause for thought” these days? A stunning study from reflective researchers just might! They provide insight into an epigenetic enigma surrounding the transcriptional role of a histone modification by reporting how […]
SiTomics Captures Site-Specific Dynamic Histone Modifications, Proteome and Genome Changes In the WildMarch 22, 2023Don’t you wish you could just look into the nucleus of a cell and watch what’s happening? With SiTomics, Peng Chen’s lab (Peking University) gets close—they can see what modifications are being placed on a particular histone, what proteins bind to it, and where that histone is on the DNA, all in living cells. To do […]
One-Stop Sequencing: Simultaneous Genetic and Epigenetic InformationMarch 2, 2023Some shoppers like to browse several stores, whereas others follow the Amazon approach and want to just visit one place to buy everything on their list. The lab of Shankar Balasubramanian’s (University of Cambridge) must be in that second group because they developed a sequencing method that is a true one-stop extravaganza. It rings up […]
DNA Methylation Editing Provides Evidence for Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance in MammalsFebruary 26, 2023While we have become familiar with the link between DNA methylation and disease, an exciting epigenetic editing study now reports how DNA methylation contributes to transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals and influences disease-associated traits across generations! In their previous study, a talented team led by Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte at the Salk Institute for Biological […]
Multiplexed Epigenome Editing Rouses a “Sleeping Dog” to Treat a Neurodevelopmental DisorderFebruary 20, 2023“Let sleeping dogs lie” is sound advice for those who want to stay out of trouble! However, an eye-opening epigenome editing study now suggests that rousing the “sleeping” methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene from the inactive X chromosome may represent a therapeutic opportunity for girls with Rett Syndrome – an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder that […]
You Aren’t Going Crazy – Losing It at the Epigenetic Level Really Drives Aging!February 6, 2023Information loss can drive us crazy – from ruining a potential culinary masterpiece to turning a Lego-building afternoon into a nightmare, but can “losing it” at the epigenetic level drive aging and turn a young whippersnapper into an old fogey? We know all too well about age-related epigenetic changes, and now a team led by […]
Taking “CoRSIV” Writing from Short Notes to “Novel” Epigenetic Findings in Disease RiskJanuary 30, 2023Previously, a perfectly-penned study uncovered a type of DNA methylation variation “written” in the genome, which varies from person to person but remains consistent across tissues. Deciphering these “CoRSIV” (correlated regions of systemic interindividual variation) notes supported a deeper understanding of epigenetic variance and the impact on disease, with blood DNA methylation profiles from these […]
scChIX-seq Brings Double the Fun to Single-Cell Histone Modification ProfilingJanuary 23, 2023How do you double your fun? An extra scoop of ice cream, coffee and a cake, or the epigenetic delights of single-cell profiling of not one but two histone modifications? In the latter case, the scChIX-seq (single-cell chromatin immunocleavage and unmixing sequencing) integrated framework may represent a wise choice for those looking to indulge while […]
Chromatin-Con 2023: Epigenetics of Aging Online ConferenceJanuary 19, 2023Our friends and colleagues at Active Motif will be hosting an online conference focusing on the epigenetics of aging. Tune in if you can…Just take a look at the list of speakers and we’re sure you won’t want to miss it! Click over to the Active Motif website for more details and to register: Chromatin-Con […]