SiTomics Captures Site-Specific Dynamic Histone Modifications, Proteome and Genome Changes In the WildMarch 22, 2023Don’t you wish you could just look into the nucleus of a cell and watch what’s happening? With SiTomics, Peng Chen’s lab (Peking University) gets close—they can see what modifications are being placed on a particular histone, what proteins bind to it, and where that histone is on the DNA, all in living cells. To do […]
Going Green! – How Histone Recycling Promotes the Preservation of Pristine Epigenetic LandscapesMarch 6, 2023The climate crisis and our need to produce less waste have made recycling an everyday concept; however, whether histone proteins “go green” during DNA replication has remained somewhat in doubt. The epigenetic environment becomes disrupted during DNA replication and must be restored to maintain genome regulation and cell identity; now, two high-efficiency epigenetic studies provide […]
One-Stop Sequencing: Simultaneous Genetic and Epigenetic InformationMarch 2, 2023Some shoppers like to browse several stores, whereas others follow the Amazon approach and want to just visit one place to buy everything on their list. The lab of Shankar Balasubramanian’s (University of Cambridge) must be in that second group because they developed a sequencing method that is a true one-stop extravaganza. It rings up […]
DNA Methylation Editing Provides Evidence for Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance in MammalsFebruary 26, 2023While we have become familiar with the link between DNA methylation and disease, an exciting epigenetic editing study now reports how DNA methylation contributes to transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals and influences disease-associated traits across generations! In their previous study, a talented team led by Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte at the Salk Institute for Biological […]
Multiplexed Epigenome Editing Rouses a “Sleeping Dog” to Treat a Neurodevelopmental DisorderFebruary 20, 2023“Let sleeping dogs lie” is sound advice for those who want to stay out of trouble! However, an eye-opening epigenome editing study now suggests that rousing the “sleeping” methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene from the inactive X chromosome may represent a therapeutic opportunity for girls with Rett Syndrome – an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder that […]
mRNA Shows Its Age and Quiets Down the Immune System with Cap2 MethylationFebruary 14, 2023Wrinkles, gray hair, … Cap2 methylation on mRNA? It turns out that these are all signs of aging. Two elegant new methods to show that Cap1 gets slowly modified to Cap2 as mRNAs age. And just like boomers, they want to live the quiet life, calming down the innate immune system to prevent autoimmunity. Although […]
You Aren’t Going Crazy – Losing It at the Epigenetic Level Really Drives Aging!February 6, 2023Information loss can drive us crazy – from ruining a potential culinary masterpiece to turning a Lego-building afternoon into a nightmare, but can “losing it” at the epigenetic level drive aging and turn a young whippersnapper into an old fogey? We know all too well about age-related epigenetic changes, and now a team led by […]
scChIX-seq Brings Double the Fun to Single-Cell Histone Modification ProfilingJanuary 23, 2023How do you double your fun? An extra scoop of ice cream, coffee and a cake, or the epigenetic delights of single-cell profiling of not one but two histone modifications? In the latter case, the scChIX-seq (single-cell chromatin immunocleavage and unmixing sequencing) integrated framework may represent a wise choice for those looking to indulge while […]
Can New RNA Modification Profiling Tools Help in Your Epitranscriptomic Bid for Glory?November 21, 2022Two new sequencing methods may just make your day if you happen to be bidding for glorious insights into the epitranscriptome. Inspired by the bisulfite conversion used to assay DNA methylation, BID-seq and GLORI now enable single-nucleotide transcriptome-wide profiling of two crucial RNA modifications – N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and pseudouridine (the C5-glycoside isomer of uridine). RNA […]
RT&Tag Maps the Fleeting World of Chromatin-associated RNAsOctober 25, 2022Between the vast lands of DNA and proteins lies the ephemeral and dynamic world of chromatin-associated RNAs, a less-explored but utterly critical domain of the eukaryotic nucleus. Thankfully, RNA-focused researchers can now turn to a tagmentation-based profiling technique (“RT&Tag”) to map the landscape of regulatory chromatin-associated RNAs to aid this quest. In their fascinating study, […]
