SSSavi: Savvy Epigenome Editing with Diverse, Orderly TeamsDecember 12, 2023Bringing in the right combination of people with different perspectives and abilities can take a team to new heights. And just like that savvy diverse team, a new epigenome editing tool called the Spy-Snoop-Sun-Avi (SSSavi) system recruits diverse effector molecules in an interchangeable and orderly way to understand how combinations of DNA and histone modifications […]
A Super-specific Epigenetic Editing Strategy Silences Disease-associated Dominant MutationsNovember 22, 2023Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a “super” new study that combines the strength, ability, and ingenuity of epigenetic editing to shut down our nemesis – the disease-associated dominant mutation – while leaving the innocent bystander allele unharmed! Epigenetic superheroes led by Albert Jeltsch (University of Stuttgart) aimed to battle their […]
The Brain Cell Census: A Deeper Epigenomic Understanding of the Mammalian MainframeNovember 13, 2023If you have epigenetics on the brain like us, concentrate your mammalian mainframe on the recently published marvels on the brain’s epigenome from the NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative – Cell Census Network (BICCN). Recent work brought together under the guise of the Brain Cell Census now reports on the examination […]
Differential Methylation Data Are Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive with FML-seqNovember 7, 2023Sometimes you just want to get straight to the point. Along those lines, FML-seq (fragmentation at methylated loci and sequencing) cuts to the chase by providing a quick look at differential methylation data without the labor and expense of other approaches. Granted, some methods like whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) tell you where every methylation event is, […]
5hmC Stands Apart from 5mC Through Single-Cell Multi-omic MethodsOctober 23, 2023Sometimes, you really want to stand out from the crowd. For years, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) has lurked in the shadows, often lumped together with 5-methylcytosine (5mC). However, these modifications have different effects—5mC generally turns down expression and 5hmC ramps it up. Sure, several methods can tease apart 5mC and 5hmC, but they require a lot of sample […]
Let It Rain: Droplets Generate Single-Nuclei Multiomes of Either Histone or RNA ModificationsSeptember 25, 2023A downpour of single-cell and single-molecule multiomics methods are prompting us to exclaim, “Let it rain!” We recently told you about a couple of single-molecule epigenetic mapping methods involving chromatin. And now, two new papers show how using a droplet-based microfluidic platform can provide multiomic information about single-cell transcriptomes along with histone modifications or RNA […]
Just Add HiDRO to Figure Out How Genomes Fold in Single CellsSeptember 14, 2023Water hydrates and is essential for life—for plants, humans, and even fish. So, it’s fitting that a new technique called HiDRO takes high-throughput FISH to the next level to identify factors that help genomes fold in 3D at high throughput in single cells. Cohesin helps DNA form loops, which can then form topologically associated domains (TADs). […]
Detecting Global Levels of 5mC and 5hmC at the Same Time—With ColorAugust 23, 2023Color is exciting and fun—just look at Andy Warhol’s striking silkscreen paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Now, a new method uses bright red and green fluorescence to detect global levels of both methylated and hydroxymethylated cytosine (5mCs and 5hmCs) modifications of genomic DNA in the same straightforward assay, which could lead to easy and inexpensive clinical […]
DM-Seq: A DM You’ll Want to Slide Into for Direct Methylation Sequencing of CytosinesJuly 31, 2023When someone slides into your DMs, it could mean that they are interested in you. Now, there’s a whole new meaning of “DM” for epigeneticists. Direct Methylation Sequencing (DM-seq) nondestructively maps 5mCs directly at single-base resolution with enzymes, and only needs nanograms of sample. There are already lots of ways to get at 5mC, including: Kohli’s […]
HiRES Lets You See Chromatin Structure and Transcription Clearly—At the Same TimeJuly 10, 2023To see clearly, sometimes you just need a good pair of glasses or contacts. Now, Dong Xing’s lab (Peking University) has combined single cell Hi-C and RNA-seq to get a “Hi-RES” picture of chromatin and gene expression from the same cells simultaneously. Sure, separate Hi-C and RNA-seq data from different cells have been combined before, but […]