Search results for "epigenetics"
showing 10 items of 517 documents
Editorial: Zebrafish Epigenetics.
2022
A key area of focus in the field of epigenetics pertains the comprehension of the functional relevance of the epigenetic mechanisms occurring during embryogenesis to shape normal developmental trajectories and adult phenotypes (Atlasi and Stunnenberg, 2017; Skvortsova et al., 2018; Cavalieri, 2021; Marchione et al., 2021). Several lines of evidence highlighted that the small freshwater cyprinid Danio rerio, commonly known as zebrafish, is an excellent vertebrate model for research purposes in the field of epigenetics (Huang et al., 2013; Balasubramanian et al., 2019; Horsfield, 2019; Cavalieri, 2020). The general strengths of zebrafish over concurrent models are well known: ease of husbandr…
An ecologist’s guide for studying DNA methylation variation in wild vertebrates
2022
The field of molecular biology is advancing fast with new powerful technologies, sequencing methods and analysis software being developed constantly. Commonly used tools originally developed for research on humans and model species are now regularly used in ecological and evolutionary research. There is also a growing interest in the causes and consequences of epigenetic variation in natural populations. Studying ecological epigenetics is currently challenging, especially for vertebrate systems, because of the required technical expertise, complications with analyses and interpretation, and limitations in acquiring sufficiently high sample sizes. Importantly, neglecting the limitations of t…
The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor JAHA Down-Regulates pERK and Global DNA Methylation in MDA-MB231 Breast Cancer Cells
2015
The histone deacetylase inhibitor N-1-(ferrocenyl)-N-8-hydroxyoctanediamide (JAHA) down-regulates extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and its activated form in triple-negative MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells after 18 h and up to 30 h of treatment, and to a lesser extent AKT and phospho-AKT after 30 h and up to 48 h of treatment. Also, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), 3b and, to a lesser extent, 3a, downstream ERK targets, were down-regulated already at 18 h with an increase up to 48 h of exposure. Methylation-sensitive restriction arbitrarily-primed (MeSAP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis confirmed the ability of JAHA to induce genome-wide DNA hypomethylation at 48 h of expos…
Comprehensive DNA methylation analysis of the Aedes aegypti genome
2016
AbstractAedes aegypti mosquitoes are important vectors of viral diseases. Mosquito host factors play key roles in virus control and it has been suggested that dengue virus replication is regulated by Dnmt2-mediated DNA methylation. However, recent studies have shown that Dnmt2 is a tRNA methyltransferase and that Dnmt2-dependent methylomes lack defined DNA methylation patterns, thus necessitating a systematic re-evaluation of the mosquito genome methylation status. We have now searched the Ae. aegypti genome for candidate DNA modification enzymes. This failed to reveal any known (cytosine-5) DNA methyltransferases, but identified homologues for the Dnmt2 tRNA methyltransferase, the Mettl4 (…
'Up-regulation of histone acetylation induced by social defeat mediates the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine
2016
Social defeat (SD) induces a long-lasting increase in the rewarding effects of psychostimulants measured using the self-administration and conditioned place procedures (CPP). However, little is known about the epigenetic changes induced by social stress and about their role in the increased response to the rewarding effects of psychostimulants. Considering that histone acetylation regulates transcriptional activity and contributes to drug-induced behavioral changes, we addressed the hypothesis that SD induces transcriptional changes by histone modifications associated with the acquisition of place conditioning. After a fourth defeat, H3(K9) acetylation was decreased in the hippocampus, whil…
In search of family business continuity: the case of transgenerational family entrepreneurship
2011
This qualitative case study analyses continuity of transgenerational entrepreneurship in the family business. Transgenerational entrepreneurship is based on multigenerational, and in this particular firm, on the founder and next generation, business activities in the same family business. Methodologically, the data was collected by interviewing members of two generations of Imagon Ltd.; the founder, and his sons. Imagon Ltd. shows signs of transgenerational continuity. It did not start off that way in the founder’s mind; his desire was just to work for himself and fulfil his own visions. It was only much later that the prospect of defining his company as a family business entered the pictur…
Prenatal exposure to mixtures of xenoestrogens and repetitive element DNA methylation changes in human placenta
2014
BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) has previously shown to alter epigenetic marks. OBJECTIVES: In this work we explore whether prenatal exposure to mixtures of xenoestrogens has the potential to alter the placenta epigenome, by studying DNA methylation in retrotransposons as a surrogate of global DNA methylation. METHODS: The biomarker total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) was measured in 192 placentas from participants in the longitudinal INMA Project. DNA methylation was quantitatively assessed by bisulfite pyrosequencing on 10 different retrotransposons including 3 different long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs), 4 short interspersed nuclear …
Ectopic hbox12 Expression Evoked by Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Disrupts Axial Specification of the Sea Urchin Embryo
2015
Dorsal/ventral patterning of the sea urchin embryo depends upon the establishment of a Nodal-expressing ventral organizer. Recently, we showed that spatial positioning of this organizer relies on the dorsal-specific transcription of the Hbox12 repressor. Building on these findings, we determined the influence of the epigenetic milieu on the expression of hbox12 and nodal genes. We find that Trichostatin-A, a potent and selective histone-deacetylases inhibitor, induces histone hyperacetylation in hbox12 chromatin, evoking broad ectopic expression of the gene. Transcription of nodal concomitantly drops, prejudicing dorsal/ventral polarity of the resulting larvae. Remarkably, impairing hbox12 …
The Role of the Metabolome and Non-Coding RNA on Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas: An Update.
2022
Pheochromocytoma and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors. In some patients they exhibit malignant behavior characterized by the presence of metastases, limiting treatment options and survival rates. Therapeutic options are limited to surgery, localized radiotherapy, and a few systemic therapies. However, in several recent studies, non-coding RNA molecules are gaining increasing attention as markers of malignancy for PPGL. The understanding of PPGL development molecular mechanisms has improved in the last years, with some of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms such as DNA and histones methylation, being better understood than RNA-based mechanisms. Metabolome deregulation in…
Terpenoid treatment in osteoporosis: this is where we have come in research.
2021
Lower bone resistance to load is due to the imbalance of bone homeostasis, where excessive bone resorption, compared with bone formation, determines a progressive osteopenia, leading to a high risk of fractures and consequent pain and functional limitations. Terpenoids, with their activities against bone resorption, have recently received increased attention from researchers. They are potentially more suitable for long-term use compared with traditional therapeutics. In this review of the literature of the past 5 years, we provide comprehensive information on terpenoids, with their anti-osteoporotic effects, highlighting molecular mechanisms that are often in epigenetic key and a possible p…