Maternal Asthma Alters DNA Methylation at Autism Linked Genes in the Gardeners of the Developing BrainDecember 11, 2017Every good gardener appreciates that pruning represents an essential part of encouraging healthy development. This principle holds true not only on the macroscopic level but also at the microscopic level of our brain’s synaptic connections, which rely on pruning by its resident immune cells: microglia. In order to sculpt neurodevelopment, microglia rely on environmental signals, […]
Hit-and-Run Epigenetic Editing Helps Breast Cells Evade Cycle ArrestDecember 11, 2017While a hit-and-run typically leads to an arrest, in the world of epigenetic editing it turns out to be the key to evading cell cycle arrest (senescence) and promoting the transformation of a law-abiding cell into a cancerous criminal! The hypermethylation of promoters at the wrong time and wrong place is a trademark of cancer, […]
eBook: Key Chromatin Players | H3K27December 6, 2017Histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) is one of the most studied histone modifications with a complex biological role. Trimethyaltion of K27 is a hallmark of repressed transcription, while acetylation is associated with active transcription. Recent work has supported these roles as well as provided evidence for novel functions. This ebook covers the basics of H3K27 modifications, their role […]
One-Carbon, One Long Life: Methyl Donors Linked to LongevityNovember 22, 2017While manipulating DNA methylation has taken up most of our lifespans, the manipulation of methyl donors critical to this process may just be the key to making up for the lost time. During one-carbon metabolism, the essential amino acid methionine is metabolized into S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), a methyl donor responsible for DNA and histone methylation. Donation of […]
Visualizing CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing: Seeing is Believing!November 22, 2017Many studies have put their faith in CRISPR-Cas9 as a means to edit genes in human embryos, to fight HIV, and to explore epigenetic regulation. However, if you are someone who really needs to see CRISPR-Cas9 in action to believe it, an epic new study has you covered! So, cast away those doubts and qualms, […]
