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.

Study Reveals How Plants Override Genetic Instructions Through DNA Duplication

Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the origin of a curious duplication that gives plants multiple ways to override instructions that are coded into their DNA.

7 Nov 2024

New Study Links Cannabis Use to DNA Methylation Changes in Mental Health Pathways

Research reveals that frequent high-potency cannabis use alters DNA methylation, affecting mitochondrial and immune genes, with implications for mental health.

25 Oct 2024

High Potency Cannabis Leaves Unique DNA Signature, Study Shows

Published in Molecular Psychiatry, this is the first study to suggest that the use of high potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.

16 Oct 2024

New Insights into the Epigenetic Hallmarks of Cancer

Cancer mortality has just surpassed cardiovascular disease for the first time ever and one in two men, and one in three women, will be diagnosed with some form of the disease in the US, according to the NIH.

3 Oct 2024

Targeting the TCA Cycle to Reduce Post-TB Mortality

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions have discovered a mechanism that causes the long-term decline in immune response observed after tuberculosis (TB) is successfully treated.

1 Oct 2024

Study: Vaping Alters DNA in Ways Similar to Smoking

Young adults who vape show chemical changes in their DNA similar to those found in young adults who smoke -; changes known to be linked to the development of cancer -; according to a new study just published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.

26 Sep 2024

Comprehensive multi-omics approach reveals detailed insights into diabetes mechanisms

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers utilized a comprehensive multi-omics approach, integrating genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data from a diverse cohort, to uncover detailed molecular interactions and identify distinct diabetes subgroups.

20 Sep 2024

A Powerful New Tool for Biomedical Research

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q) have built a comprehensive molecular map of the human body and its complicated physiological processes by analyzing thousands of molecules found in 391 volunteers' blood, urine, and saliva samples.

12 Sep 2024

CDCA7's Role in DNA Methylation Maintenance Revealed in Recent Study

DNA methylation is a process in which a methyl group is attached to the cytosine base of the DNA molecule, and a major way that DNA is epigenetically marked. Epigenetic modifications can act as on-off switches to regulate gene expression and help generate diverse cell types without changing the underlying DNA sequence. It is how the body ensures that brain-related genes don't get turned on in heart cells, for example.

28 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals CDCA7's Hemimethylation Sensing in Nucleosome Core Particles

DNA methylation, a process by which methyl groups are added to DNA molecules, is essential for the maintenance of DNA and the overall health of an organism. Disruptions in the standard DNA methylation patterns can lead to immunodeficiency and diseases such as cancer.

27 Aug 2024

Ancient Viral Remnants Serve as Accurate Aging Clock

DNA markers linked to retroelements - remaining pieces of ancient viral genetic material - in human genes have been found by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the epigenetics startup TruDiagnostic.

20 Aug 2024

Plant-Based Diet Slows Down Biological Aging Markers

Eating a vegan diet for eight weeks is associated with reductions in biological age estimations based on levels of DNA methylation -; a type of chemical modification of DNA (known as an epigenetic modification) that alters gene expression but not DNA itself. Previous research has reported that increased DNA methylation levels are associated with aging. The findings, which are based on a small randomized controlled trial of 21 pairs of adult identical twins, are published in BMC Medicine.

29 Jul 2024

Cost-Effective Array Sheds Light on Imprinted Gene Regulation

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an array that assesses methylation levels of genes located in imprint control regions (ICRs) within the human genome. The array represents a cost-effective, efficient method for exploring potential links between environmental exposures and epigenetic dysregulation during the early developmental origins of diseases and behavioral disorders.

26 Jul 2024