Friday, July 22, 2011

Scientists Complete First Mapping of Molecule Found in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: July 22, 2011

Summary:

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have generated the first genome-wide mapping of a DNA modification called 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in embryonic stem cells, and discovered that it is predominantly found in genes that are turned on, or active. The finding by researchers with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA may prove to be important in controlling diseases like cancer, where the regulation of certain genes plays a role in disease development. The study appears in the July issue of the journal Genome Biology.