Epigenomic state preserved in museum specimens could be leveraged to provide unique insights into gene regulation trends associated with accelerating environmental change during the Anthropocene. We address the challenges facing museum epigenomics and propose a collaborative framework for researchers and curators to explore this new field.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.12.005 | DOI Listing |
Mol Ecol Resour
January 2025
National Research Collections Australia, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Formalin preservation of museum specimens has long been considered a barrier to molecular research due to extensive crosslinking and chemical modification. However, recent optimisation of hot alkaline lysis and proteinase K digestion DNA extraction methods have enabled a growing number of studies to overcome these challenges and conduct genome-wide re-sequencing and targeted locus-specific sequencing. The newest, and perhaps most unexpected utility of formalin preservation in archival samples is its ability to preserve in situ DNA-protein interactions at a molecular level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGeroscience
November 2024
Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology & Centre for Genome Biology, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
In modern human societies, social interactions and pro-social behaviours are associated with better individual and collective health, reduced mortality, and increased longevity. Conversely, social isolation is a predictor of shorter lifespan. The biological processes through which sociality affects the ageing process, as well as healthspan and lifespan, are still poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe epigenome is the suite of interacting chemical marks and molecules that helps to shape patterns of development, phenotypic plasticity and gene regulation, in part due to its responsiveness to environmental stimuli. There is increasing interest in understanding the functional and evolutionary importance of this sensitivity under ecologically realistic conditions. Observations that epigenetic variation abounds in natural populations have prompted speculation that it may facilitate evolutionary responses to rapid environmental perturbations, such as those occurring under climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Genet
August 2024
Cell Fate and Nuclear Organization, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
The structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) complexes-cohesin and condensins-are crucial for chromosome separation and compaction during cell division. During the interphase, mammalian cohesins additionally fold the genome into loops and domains. Here we show that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, a species with holocentric chromosomes, condensin I is the primary, long-range loop extruder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
April 2024
Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
We tracked the consequences of in utero protein restriction in mice throughout their development and life course using a luciferase-based allelic reporter of imprinted Cdkn1c. Exposure to gestational low-protein diet (LPD) results in the inappropriate expression of paternally inherited Cdkn1c in the brains of embryonic and juvenile mice. These animals were characterised by a developmental delay in motor skills, and by behavioural alterations indicative of reduced anxiety.
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