EpiGenie Newsletter - March, 2023
2 March, 2023?
Some 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 genetic and epigenetic reads down to the single-base level and can even be done with tiny amounts of DNA, such as cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which is useful for prenatal and cancer research.
While 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!
“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 impacts the development of motor skills and communication.
Wrinkles, 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.
We all know how important it is to eat fiber, whether in the form of fruits and veggies, or even a big bowl of fiber-rich cereal. Now, research from?Ben Garcia’s?lab (WUSTL) gives us one more reason to eat our Wheaties—our gut microbiome needs it to acetylate histones and possibly?ward off diseases like colitis.
领英推荐
Our friends and colleagues at Active Motif hosted a 3-day online conference focusing on the epigenetics of aging. Missed the event? No problem - you can still watch all 15 recorded presentations at your convenience.
New to the field and want to get up to speed quick? Take a dive into the Learning Center which contains tons of epigenetics background information, profiles of key epigenetic readers, writers, and erasers, plus a useful an ever expanding compilation of useful tools and databases. Check our these highlighted aricles:?
Key Epigenetic Players:?Check out our overview of the key epigenetic modifications that play a big role in gene regulation, development, and disease, as well as the proteins that are responsible for reading, writing, and erasing the epigenome.
Epigenetics Tools and Databases (Updated!):?Tools, where would humankind be without them? The EpiGenie team decided to search out and compile a list of the best tools and databases that epigenetics researchers can’t live without.
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Int'l Conference on Chromatin Dynamics & Epigeneitcs?| 06 Mar 2023
Single-Cell Multiomics?| 07 Mar 2023
SoCal Metabolism Symposium?| 10 Mar 2023
Click?here?to see the complete list of upcoming conferences!