A new method lets researchers spy on cells as they gain and lose chemical tags on their DNA.

Alterations to chromosome 7 lead to changes in the chemical marks that direct gene expression.

DNA sequences called enhancers — which boost the expression of genes from within or outside them — are enriched for genetic variants linked to autism, suggests a new study. The finding may help researchers understand how variants outside genes contribute to autism.

Researchers have devised a reliable technique for evaluating how well antibodies home in on specific molecules in scientific experiments. The new approach could take some of the guesswork out of studies that use antibodies to label and isolate proteins.

A new strategy sharpens the analysis of chemical tags on the DNA-protein complexes that regulate gene expression. The method may help researchers decipher how gene expression goes awry in disorders such as autism.

A new study may help explain why the symptoms of Rett syndrome appear 6 to 18 months after birth. It suggests that the role of MeCP2, the protein missing in the syndrome, becomes more important as the brain matures.

Women who have unusual patterns of chemical tags on their DNA during pregnancy may give birth to children who develop autism symptoms. The preliminary results are being presented today at the 2015 International Meeting for Autism Research in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mutations in MeCP2, which cause Rett syndrome, boost the expression of long genes in the brain. The findings add to mounting evidence linking long genes to developmental disorders.

Scientists peel back the layers of genetic complexity in autism, starting with the master regulator CHD8.
 

A new method allows researchers to extract chromatin — the DNA-protein complex that helps to regulate gene expression — from tissue samples weighing as little as 1 milligram.