Epigenetics of Cancer TimelineFebruary 9, 2014Epigenetic mechanisms have been studied in cancer for decades. Unfortunately, we haven’t been around that long, but check out these great articles that capture the recent history of epigenetic breakthroughs in cancer.
The Rise of lncRNAs TimelineFebruary 9, 2014Long non-coding RNAs, also known as lncRNAs, are gaining a truck load of momentum in the field of the epigenetics. Here we highlight the hottest research, methods papers, and the occasional interview centered around these long and curvy regulatory RNAs.
Evolution of Advanced Sequencing TimelineFebruary 7, 2014In a few short years. advanced sequencing has become nearly ubiquitous. Here we provide a history of how emerging sequencing technologies have driven epigenetic research and understanding.
World’s First CRISPR MonkeysFebruary 5, 2014The Crispr/Cas9 genetic engineering system has gotten a lot of buzz lately for its potential in epigenetic editing and now a team of researchers in China have just made a huge breakthrough, using the technique to create genetically engineered monkeys. The scientists approach was to inject an engineered bacterial immune system (known as CRISPR/Cas9) into one-cell-stage […]
Webinar: Mechanisms of Epigenetic Regulation in Stem Cells and DevelopmentJanuary 31, 2014Dr. Alexander Meissner discusses the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in stem cells and development. Cytosine methylation in mammals is an epigenetic modification that is largely restricted to CpG dinucleotides and serves multiple critical functions including stable repression of target promoters, maintaining genomic integrity, establishing parent-specific imprinting patterns, and silencing endogenous retrotransposon activity. In somatic tissues, […]
The Next Steps in Chromatin Contact Analysis with Dr. Gerd BlobelJanuary 20, 2014Dr. Gerd Blobel discusses emerging techniques for visualizing the interactions of RNAs and chromatin. The Future of Chromatin Contact Analysis So there are other approaches that people are taking, which is: you use FISH, for example, Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization. And this is a method that can be used to validate interactions that have been […]
Epigenetic Love Triangle of Testicular CancerJanuary 20, 2014Politics makes for strange bedfellows, and now it seems, so does testicular cancer. According to recent research, a trio of vastly different mechanisms all contribute to a carcinogenic epigenetic chain of events involving DNAm, retroviruses, and PIWI/piRNA machinery. PIWI proteins are an Argonaute family protein subclass and have little RNA buddies known as small regulatory PIWI-interacting […]
Decrypting Transcription with Dr. Frank GrosveldJanuary 7, 2014Dr. Frank Grosveld points out how little we actually know about the details of transcription and the molecular machinery involved. Transcription Factories We have this loop structure of the genome. And at the same time, we know that every gene that’s being transcribed, that’s active, is part of what we call transcription factories. So […]
Epigenetic Technology: 2013 Editor’s FavoritesDecember 18, 2013In 2013, technology impacted nearly every facet of our lives: from improving Instagram selfies, to squeezing even more knowledge from epigenetics research. Check out some of our favorite Technology features from the past year: Genome Editing We love the potential of Genome Editing. Led by methods like CRISPR-Cas, this emerging field has really boomed this […]
Webinar: Covering all the Bases with Genome-Wide 5-mC and 5-hmC SequencingDecember 17, 2013Covering all the Bases with Genome-Wide 5-mC and 5-hmC Sequencing By Dr Keith Booher, PhD. Manager of Epigenetic Services at Zymo Research Abstract: There is an ever-increasing appreciation for the remarkable ability of epigenetic modifications, such as the methylation of cytosines in DNA (5-mC), to respond to environmental cues and influence gene expression in biological […]