Mammalian Brain Development is Accompanied by a Dramatic Increase in Bipolar DNA Methylation.

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism critical for tissue development and cell specification. Mammalian brains consist of many different types of cells with assumedly distinct DNA methylation profiles, and thus some genomic loci may demonstrate bipolar DNA methylation pattern, i.e.

Endothelial-Specific EphA4 Negatively Regulates Native Pial Collateral Formation and Re-Perfusion following Hindlimb Ischemia.

Leptomeningeal anastomoses play a critical role in regulating vascular re-perfusion following obstruction, however, the mechanisms regulating their development remains under investingation. Our current findings indicate that EphA4 receptor is a novel negative regulator of collaterogenesis. We demonstrate that EphA4 is highly expressed on pial arteriole collaterals at post-natal day (P) 1 and 7, then significantly reduced by P21.

HBS-Tools for Hairpin Bisulfite Sequencing Data Processing and Analysis.

The emerging genome-wide hairpin bisulfite sequencing (hairpin-BS-Seq) technique enables the determination of the methylation pattern for DNA double strands simultaneously. Compared with traditional bisulfite sequencing (BS-Seq) techniques, hairpin-BS-Seq can determine methylation fidelity and increase mapping efficiency. However, no computational tool has been designed for the analysis of hairpin-BS-Seq data yet.