AID/APOBEC – Unlikely Contenders for Primary DNA Demethylation Pathway.
Over the past couple of years, extensive efforts have been made to elucidate the 5-methylcytosine demethylation pathway. Two distinctly different families of enzymes were implicated as the most likely candidates. The TET (ten-eleven translocation) family of α-ketoglutarate-dependent deoxygenases consists of enzymes which iteratively oxidize 5-methylcytosine to 5-carboxylcytosine, and represents one …
Don’t forget about Dnmt’s
There is not a lot of knowledge about the enzymes that influence the molecular pathways underlying the normal aging process. A recent publication in Nature Neuroscience showed that the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a2 is critically involved in age-associated cognitive decline in mice. Oliveira et al. found that up regulating Dnmt3a2 can …
Differing culture conditions can lead to both reversible and irreversible changes in DNA methylation.
Investigation into the mechanisms of pluripotency in stem cells and their potential applications is ongoing. It is of utmost importance that these cells be propagated stably, both for the consistency of data within the scientific community and then also for potential clinical applications. How do culture conditions impact methylation and …
Epigenetic Regulation is Involved in Host Antiviral Defense Mechanisms
Influenza is the virus that causes the flu, and can result in serious, sometimes fatal infections. Influenza virus is easily transmitted within a population raising concerns of it causing an epidemic, or worse, a pandemic. In recent years, the highly pathogenic H5N1 and H1N1 viruses have caused thousands of deaths …
Does Epigenetics Control Aging? New study finds DNA methylation patterns change with age
Aging is a natural part of life, but many of the molecular details that contribute to the aging process remain unclear and cannot be explained by classical genetics. There are several age-related DNA methylation biomarkers, suggesting that epigenetics is involved in aging, but until recently there has not been a …
Epigenetic and dietary regulation of salt-sensitive hypertension
Hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) is a disease that is often heritable and can be a direct consequence of dietary factors. A high intake of dietary salt is one factor that can potentially affect the expression of genes involved in regulating blood pressure, and thus contributes to the …
Epigenetic regulation of a non-coding RNA implicated in FSHD pathogenesis
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a common and debilitating myopathy very frequently associated with decreased D4Z4 repetitive element copy number at chromosome 4q35. The exact molecular mechanism driving FSHD is unknown, however, epigenetic dysregulation is suspected to be a major contributing factor.
Potential of 5-hmC and TET Expression as Cancer Biomarkers
The role of epigenetics in cancer and developmental biology has become the focus of extensive research. 5-hydoxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) is an epigenetic modification that arises from the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) by the epigenetic regulatory proteins belonging to the TET (ten-eleven translocation) family of α-ketoglutarate-dependent deoxygenases. The TET enzymes are responsible …