histone modification

Aging cells with weakened gene regulation spuriously transcribe RNAs, but their impact on health and longevity still needs to be examined.

Some studies suggest that associations between the health of children and the experiences of their parents or grandparents may be due to epigenetic mechanisms, but confounding factors challenge this interpretation.

The concept of epigenetic inheritance has long been controversial. Some researchers hope that new data on cross-generational effects of environmental exposures will help settle the debate.

A study links the loss of DNA methylation across the genome—as is common in cancer—to the disruption of the 3-D compartments that organize the genome and to the timing of DNA replication.

The methodology involves modifying histones and displaying them on the cell surface for analysis.

By harnessing a unique property of yeast, scientists can synthesize histones and the enzymes that modify these proteins, which spool DNA and influence gene expression.

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.

This year’s winners are C. David Allis, Michael Grunstein, John Glen, and Joan Steitz.

A study of chemical tags on histone proteins hints at how the same genome can yield very different animals.

Histone modifications to the DNA of Florida carpenter ants can turn soldiers into foragers.

People with a congenital disorder that makes them unable to feel pain have mutations in a histone-modifying gene. 

Curing HIV means finding and eradicating viruses still lurking in the shadows.

Oxford researcher John Frater explains the strategy of targeting viral reservoirs to beat HIV.

A guide to the newest techniques for examining epigenetics in single cells

Histone acetylation levels keep intracellular pH in check.

Long non-protein-coding RNA (lncRNA) sequences are often transcribed from the opposite, or antisense, strand of a protein coding gene. In the past few years, research has shown that these lncRNAs play a number of regulatory roles in the cell. For exa