RDM1 Corners the RNA Directed DNA Methylation PuzzleApril 28, 2010It’s often easiest to put together a jigsaw puzzle by finding the corner pieces first, then working on the borders before moving on to what’s happening in the center. A similar approach to solving the transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) mechanisms in Arabidopsis has identified a protein, RDM1, which seems to […]
Decoding Autism’s Epigenetic RiddleApril 14, 2010Autism is a developmental disorder that’s shrouded in mystery. Its causes are unknown and hotly debated, but some recent detective work hints that through changes in miRNA expression and DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns, there is an epigenetic link. Autism often brings to mind Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, who was deeply focused on only […]
RNA Binding Proteins Get miRNA Regulation Turned OnApril 14, 2010With all of the big energy conservation campaigns over the years, not many people understand flipping-switches like Southern Californians. You can’t get through a Lakers game without being reminded to turn the lights off, or adjust your thermostat. It appears that some researchers from the Institute of Microbiology in Prague have gotten into the act […]
Breaking Down miRNA MicroarraysApril 6, 2010As analysis of miRNAs becomes increasingly popular, the resulting flood of microarray products out there for miRNA profiling is enough to make your head spin. So how do you decide which ones to use? If you’ve been stressing over that question, you’ll be happy to know that some good folks at Cambridge Research Institute and […]
miRNA SNPs Here or There Can Make a Big DifferenceMarch 30, 2010One wrong snip from your barber might leave you with a bad hair day, but a genomic SNP in the wrong place, like a miRNA target site, can leave you in a much worse situation; with a predisposition to cancer. SNPs have been studied extensively in several diseases, but only recently have scientists started looking […]
Non-Coding RNAs in EpigeneticsMarch 30, 2010We interviewed John Mattick a few years back as we were getting ready to launch EpiGenie, but couldn’t manage to get the transcripts all edited and ready for show time. So, when we ran accross this interview in what was Invitrogen’s Quest magazine we were excited, then bummed because we didn’t run it first, then […]
Viral miRNA Social Networking via ExosomesMarch 29, 2010Just a few years ago miRNAs were viewed as pretty solitary transcripts, exhibiting their regulatory muti-tasking skills primarily within their micro-environments. Recent evidence however has shown that miRNAs can spring from their cellular confines when secreted in exosomes, our cells’ version of public transit. A few groups have hypothesized that these exosome-associated miRNAs might play […]
EpiGenie Gets a Face LiftMarch 18, 2010Since we launched EpiGenie two years ago, we’ve been redesigning it and putting various bandages on it to share information a little better. Well, three web developers and a bunch of late nights later, we’re psyched to present our new look and feel. What’s New? We made a number of changes to design and our […]
For miRNA Genes, Thin Is In(tron)March 3, 2010An alarming new trend is sweeping the nation: men in skinny jeans. The fad has gone so far that even miRNAs have started squeezing themselves into tight genes, so to speak. According to a new paper by researchers from Tel Aviv University and Harvard, it seems miRNA genes preferentially wedge themselves within the introns of […]
CSI’s Newest Crime-Solving Tool: miRNAsFebruary 17, 2010The TV franchise CSI: Crime Scene Investigation makes it seem like analyzing biological samples in a criminal investigation is as simple as pushing a button on a fancy gizmo and having the results printed out within seconds. (Of course, they also solve complex mysteries in under an hour every week, so I guess you can’t […]
