Try Zymo’s EZ DNA Methylation-Lightning™ Kit FreeMay 24, 2012Give the fastest bisulfite conversion kit on the market, the EZ DNA Methylation-Lightning Kit, a spin without spending a dime! Zymo Research is now offering free samples of the Lightning Kit through their website. Just look for the Sample Available icon in the right hand column, fill out the form and you’ll have a trial […]
DNA Methylation Deserts: Hot Spots for Structural Genomic MutationsMay 23, 2012Deserts typically stir up images of desolate landscapes sprinkled with cacti, but according to a new report, ‘methylation deserts’, the 1% of the genome with the lowest occurrence of DNA methylation, are actually fertile ground for structural genomic mutations. A research group from the Baylor College of Medicine knew that the human genome contains many loci […]
Enhancers Set the Stage for Stem Cell Differentiation during EmbryogenesisMay 23, 2012It’s amazing to think that we all started out as one cell with DNA from our parents inside. Now, researchers in Spain and the Netherlands say that they have a better idea of how development happens—and enhancers are showing them the way by pointing out active genes. The researchers knew that active enhancers are marked […]
Conference Trends: Nutrition in EpigeneticsMay 15, 2012Conferences provide an up-to-the-minute look at what’s going on inside epigenetics labs all over the world. By tuning into our conference coverage, we’ve tagged diet and nutrition as an important trend to follow in epigenetic research. Here’s a look at some trendy examples in our Conference Highlights from the last year or so. Differentially Methylated […]
Nanofluidic Sorting and Analyzing of Single Methylated DNA Molecules in Real TimeMay 14, 2012Getting kids to line up single-file can be a challenge, but lining up single molecules for analyses can be just as frustrating. Now, researchers at Cornell report that they’ve done just that—they can line up single DNA molecules in a tiny channel in a nanofluidic device, sort them according to methylation state, then recover them […]
HPV Integration Brings Cancerous Changes to the DNA MethylomeMay 9, 2012Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) can protect against many forms of the virus, which can cause cervical cancer. But not everyone gets vaccinated, and there’s still a risk of becoming infected with an HPV type that the vaccination doesn’t cover. Early epigenetic events associated with HPV infection are still mysterious, so researchers in the United […]
Pregnancy-linked miRNA Cluster in Exosomes May Spark AdenomasMay 9, 2012We’ve all had things come back and haunt us—like our high school yearbook picture (the horror!). Now, researchers in Germany say they hypothesize that the same thing could happen with a chromosome 19 miRNA cluster. These miRNAs appear to dampen a mother’s immune response to a developing fetus, but the researchers think that this “immunomodulatory” […]
Virtual Poster Presentation: Comprehensive DNA Methylation Profiling of 3.7 million CpGs with the SureSelect Target Enrichment SystemMay 8, 2012What new technique reveals more information than methylation microarrays by detecting individual CpGs, increases throughput with reduced costs compared to Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing and reveals methylated regions undetected by RRBS and Me-Dip? Tune in to a virtual presentation delivered Dr. Kyeong Soo Jeong, R&D Scientist, Genomics Group, Agilent Technologies as he presents a poster that […]
oxBS-Seq Breaks Through 5hmC Sequencing BarrierApril 26, 20125-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) has always been a bear to sequence, mostly because it’s virtually indistinguishable from its close relative, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) using classic bisulfite sequencing techniques. Now a new sample preparation method has hit the scene that can discriminate between cytosine, 5mC and 5hmC at single base resolution, called oxidative bisulfite sequencing (oxBS-Seq) that essentially smashes […]
Argonaute AGO2 Gives miRNAs a Little Trim Around the EdgesApril 17, 2012Isn’t there always one person in a group of friends who’s a little weird or different? It turns out that AGO2, is a little different from its Argonaute paralogs, AGO1, 3, and 4. Researchers in Singapore are reporting that unlike other Argonautes, oddball AGO2 trims mammalian miRNAs, changing their functions during development. The team knew […]