In mice, epigenetic marks made on histones during infancy influence depression-like behavior during adulthood. A drug that reverses the genomic tags appears to undo the damage.
Using CRISPR and other tools, scientists are modifying DNA methylation, histone marks, and other modifiers of gene expression to understand how they affect health and disease.
After initially discovering that DNA methylation represses transcription, Howard Cedar continues to explore how the epigenetic mark regulates gene expression.
Courtesy of Richard Roberts, New England BiolabsModel methylation reaction: Cytosine nucleotide (red) is flipped out of the DNA double helix by a methyltransferase (white), so it can be methylated. The end product after the methyl group has been transferred to the DNA is pictured in green. A tenuous link between DNA methylation and development has existed for several years. Now findings substantiate the connection. Researchers have found the first human diseases caused by defects in the DNA meth
Gidi Rechavi, Chuan He, and Dan Dominissini | Jan 1, 2016 | 10 min read
DNA isn’t the only decorated nucleic acid in the cell. Modifications to RNA molecules are much more common and are critical for regulating diverse biological processes.
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jan 12, 2023 | 4 min read
Repairing damaged DNA appears to drive aging by causing the loss of epigenetic information, but restoring that information reverses such effects, a study finds.