DNA Hypermethylation of CpG Islands Doesn’t Contribute to Cancer Progression?October 9, 2012And in another example of turning conventional wisdom on its head, researchers from Scotland report that aberrant DNA hypermethylation of CpG island (CGI) promoters does not contribute to cancer development via silencing. Generally, those genes are already repressed before cancer even starts. Researchers have noticed for a long time that many genes’ CGI promoters are […]
Histone Variant H2A.Z Plays in Active and Repressive ElementsOctober 9, 2012In this election season, few people are on the fence about their choice for U.S. president. But histone H2A.Z seemingly votes on both sides of the transcription —hanging out at active regulatory elements and at repressive ones. Researchers in Boston figured out how H2A.Z does this, and it may have to do with the different […]
DNA Methylation Spreads its Wings…RarelyOctober 9, 2012Transposable elements are a common mover and shaker in our genomes. Much like your obnoxious friend that you have to keep close tabs on at dinner parties, they’re usually kept under wraps by fancy host silencing mechanisms like DNA methylation. There’s been some evidence that suggests that the DNA methylation that silences transposable elements can […]
Hypomethylated DNA Repeats Surface in Damaged HeartsOctober 9, 2012Repetition may help the brain learn, but it can be rough on the heart. Researchers in Cambridge, U.K. have found that DNA repeats in damaged hearts are hypomethylated, and that’s associated with increased transcription. In research they published last year, the team did the first whole-genome analysis of differential DNA methylation in so-called “end-stage cardiomyopathic […]
Conserved DNA Methylation Changes from Early Childhood ExperiencesOctober 9, 2012Our brains might not recall our early years, but increasing evidence supports that our methylomes just might. A few studies have shown that cuddles from mama rats—or a lack thereof—are known to affect their offspring’s long-term health and behavior by changing the brain’s DNA methylation patterns over a large scale. Now, a Canadian research effort […]
Bisulfite Sequencing and RRBS Get a MakeoverOctober 4, 2012As we head into fall in the northern hemi, the air gets a bit lighter, the leaves change, and improved ways to approach Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS), histone modification characterization, and bisulfite sequencing mapping emerge. Check out these three new techniques featured by our friends over at BMC in the latest issue of Genome Biology that may just […]
New Apps: Interactive Epigenomic Data Browser and DNAm Data ToolkitsOctober 4, 2012Apple may have bombed their latest Maps integration, but the Epigenome mapping consortia out there are making it look easy by pumping out datasets by the server full. So it only makes sense that there needs to be robust software to help researchers make sense of it all. Two new papers in Genome Biology offer […]
NIH Protein Capture Reagents ProgramSeptember 26, 2012The NIH is seeking broad community input (that means you) to prioritize a list for renewable affinity reagents for human transcription factors. This outreach effort is part of the Protein Capture Reagents Program (http://commonfund.nih.gov/proteincapture/). This program was initiated by the NIH Common Fund in response to concerns raised by scientific community regarding the lack of access to […]
Webinar: Exploring Genome-Wide Organization of Chromatin Structure by ChIPSeptember 26, 2012Our friends at Abcam are hosting a lovely webinar for those of you seeking to ChIP away at chromatin enlightenment. Topics to be discussed include: Introduction to chromatin, ChIP (Chromatin IP) and usages of the method Overview of genomic approaches to map in-vivo chromatin structure (ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip) Detailed description of genome-wide mapping of chromatin by ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip […]
Free White Paper: Histone Acetylation and Methylation – Epigenetic Modulators of Gene ExpressionSeptember 26, 2012Histone acetylation and methylation are important cellular processes, but it can be hard keeping track of the structural ups and downs from HATs and HDACs. This free white-paper provides an informative, concise review of the key players in histone acetylation and methylation and their impact on specific residues. Download here >>>