5hmU: Tet’s Newest Base on the BlockJune 9, 2014While Apple seems focused on reducing complexity, the epigenome just can’t stop increasing it. Researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich have shown that Tet enzymes oxidize not only the methyl group of methyl-cytosine (mC) but also thymine (T). An analog to the traditional oxidation of 5mC to 5hydroxymethyl-cytosine (5hmC), this case generates hydroxymethyl-uracil (5hmU). By tracing metabolically stable isotopes […]
lncRNAs Give a Shout Out to Imprinted GenesMay 22, 2014For a while there, it didn’t seem like long non-coding RNAS (lncRNAs) had very much to say on the subject of genomic imprinting. But some new evidence shows that lncRNAs have found their voice, shouting loud and clear as a cross-talk conduit between imprinted regions. Researchers from Hebrew University (Jerusalem) introduced a new concept into […]
Genome Editing & iPSCs Reveal Matters of the HeartMay 15, 2014Matters of the heart are always complicated (Just ask Dr. Phil!), but this is especially true when appropriate cardiac models aren’t available to medical researchers. Fortunately, a reverse engineering team from Harvard has found a way to combine the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), to create a “heart-on-chip” technology that’s […]
SIF-seq Sifts Out Stem Cell Enhancer GoldApril 10, 2014Searching for functional enhancers is sort of like panning for gold; there is enormous potential for riches, but the task is akin to finding a needle in a stack of needles. A team from the Berkeley National Laboratory decided to apply their own gold rush-style, enhancer mining techniques to develop a new method for the discovery of functional enhancers aided […]
DNA Methylation Sorts Out Cell Type HeterogeneityMarch 31, 2014While all of our cells share an almost indistinguishable genome, the variation created by the epigenome makes sorting and tackling the heterogeneity of cell types in your favorite homogenate a bigger task than finding a Yeti in a snow storm. Now a search and rescue team from Brown University has utilized DNA methylation profiles to breathe […]
DNA Methylation Reveals Your True AgeFebruary 28, 2014To the utter dismay of Hollywood actresses and men in the throes of a mid-life crises, the Epigenetic Clock has just chimed in to remind us that there really is no escaping time. A new report from Carola Weidner and team at Aachen University in Germany has just shown that, sort of like counting the rings in a […]
The New Players in Epigenetic Reprogramming with Dr. Wolf ReikFebruary 3, 2014Dr. Wolf Reik discusses the latest advances in epigenetic reprogramming, and what those new discoveries might lead to. The New DNA Methylation Landscape So it’s become apparent in the last two years, I guess, that there is this process of genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming which occurs naturally in germ cells, early embryo stem cells, et cetera, […]
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, […]
Tet1 Demethylation Wipes the Genomic Imprinting Slate CleanDecember 12, 2013The mechanisms surrounding genomic imprinting has always been a bit of black-box, especially when it comes to the erasure of paternal methylation patterns. A recent study led by Yi Zhang at the Boston Children’s Hospital has made a breakthrough in our understanding of imprinting, showing that Tet1 is a major part of the clean-up crew […]
We are the 98%: Intergenic Regions (Finally) Get Some BuzzOctober 11, 2013Many chose to focus on the ‘wealthy’ two percent of our genome that produces protein, but we’ve always found the other 98% to be much more interesting. Thankfully, we’re past the days of referring to non-coding, intergenic regions as ‘Junk DNA’, and new research is proving how scientifically rich they really are. Dr. Emily Hodges […]