DNA Methylation News and Research

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DNA methylation is a type of chemical modification of DNA that can be inherited and subsequently removed without changing the original DNA sequence. As such, it is part of the epigenetic code and is also the most well characterized epigenetic mechanism.

Research suggests new strategies for developing psoriasis therapies

Psoriasis is a skin disorder that affects at least 100 million individuals worldwide. Its economic impact is more than $10 billion annually in the U.S. alone.

11 Dec 2019

Epigenomic techniques used to fight disease

Humans differ from one another in many ways, including how they react to disease, because of their DNA blueprint, as well as the difference in the environments they face. These factors combine to make each person unique. Now a new study published in the journal Nature Protocols reports the development of a promising technology to uncover the process by which the body fights diseases in different ways.

4 Dec 2019

Baylor researchers report creation of an 'epigenetic couch potato' mouse

Why is it that some people love to exercise, and others hate it? Most people would assume it's all due to genetics, but a new Baylor College of Medicine led study in mice shows for the first time that a different molecular level of regulation - epigenetics - plays a key role in determining one's innate drive to exercise.

4 Dec 2019

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Though epigenetic disorders - diseases caused by faulty gene expression - are still rare overall, babies born using fertility treatments have up to an 11-fold higher risk of inheriting them.

26 Nov 2019

Lithium corrects radiation damage to brain in young cancer patients

A new study on mice, published online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, on November 14, 2019, shows that the intermittent use of lithium, which is widely used to stabilize the mood in conditions such as bipolar disorder, can correct memory and learning losses due to radiation therapy to the brain in very young animals, even when the lithium is given long after the injury.

14 Nov 2019

Leukemia type B cell can transform into a macrophage through epigenetic changes

All the tissues of our body have the same DNA, but they perform very different functions and have very different aspects.

13 Nov 2019

Novel home testing kit for cervical cancer could replace Pap tests

A new method of cervical cancer screening which is designed to be done by women at home could bring down the rates of cervical cancer and associated deaths. The work, presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Conference 2019 in Glasgow, has attracted immense attention because of its feasibility and wide acceptance.

6 Nov 2019

Scientists discover structure of novel RNA-modifying enzyme

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is present in the cells of all living beings and required to synthesize proteins. A research team at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered the structure of a novel RNA-modifying enzyme, ZCCHC4, and identified the mechanism that controls how this enzyme recognizes its substrate.

6 Nov 2019

Self-sampling could increase detection of cervical pre-cancer

A non-invasive test to detect cervical pre-cancer could increase participation rates in cervical cancer screening programs.

4 Nov 2019

Scientists receive $1.6 million grant to study impact of phthalate exposure on male fertility

A cross-disciplinary team of scientists, led by University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental epigeneticist Richard Pilsner, will use a three-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to expand research into the impact of phthalate exposure on male fertility.

30 Oct 2019

NYU Langone Health launches new molecular assay to identify patients with brain tumors

NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center have launched clinical whole genome DNA methylation profiling for patients with brain tumors.

24 Oct 2019

Parents' behavior can have substantial impact on developing oxytocin systems in babies

Oxytocin is an extremely important hormone, involved in social interaction and bonding in mammals, including humans.

24 Oct 2019

Measuring development in young children: the DNA clock

Scientists have come up with a new discovery that could transform our understanding of how childhood growth and development are measured – the DNA clock. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, is the first paper to...

16 Oct 2019

Epigenetic changes can lead to development of GISTs, other cancers

Most cases of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a type of soft-tissue cancer (sarcoma), are caused by mutations in genes that can be effectively targeted with drugs that inhibit the activity of rogue cancer-promoting enzymes.

16 Oct 2019

New molecular "clock" could help monitor life-altering development disorders in children

Scientists have developed a molecular "clock" that could reshape how pediatricians measure and monitor childhood growth and potentially allow for an earlier diagnosis of life-altering development disorders.

15 Oct 2019

Researchers reveal mechanism involved in altering DNA methylation in cancer

Understanding the mechanisms that mediate widespread DNA damage in the cancer genome is of great interest to cancer physicians and scientists because it may lead to improved treatments and diagnosis. In this study, a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has brought attention to genomic structural variation as a previously unappreciated mechanism involved in altering DNA methylation, a form of gene control, in human cancers.

15 Oct 2019

Finnish study offers new information about molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have discovered new changes in blood samples associated with Alzheimer's disease. A new international study was conducted on disease-discordant Finnish twin pairs: one sibling suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the other being cognitively healthy.

15 Oct 2019

Combination of two drugs disrupts cancer cells' ability to survive DNA damage, study finds

In continuing efforts to find novel ways to kill cancer cells, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a new pathway that leads to the destruction of cancer cells.

14 Oct 2019

Men should stay alcohol-free for at least six months before conception

A new study has revealed that men hoping to conceive should stop drinking for at least six months before to prevent congenital heart diseases.

4 Oct 2019

Researchers elucidate enzymes that control long-term memory, learning process in the brain

When we first purchase a smart phone, all of our settings and applications are the same. But as time passes, everyone's phones will change drastically as we adapt them to our own individual needs and preferences. In the same way, our memories and life experiences are loaded into our brains, making one person unique from another.

2 Oct 2019