By Irene Hsiao
Epigenetics, the study of the chemical marks that embellish genetic material to regulate gene expression, has become a burgeoning field of research reports the 22 February issue of Nature in an article that showcases the pioneering work of Chuan He, John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor. In collaboration with Professor Tao Pan of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, He discovered the first RNA demethylase in 2011, showing that RNA could be dynamically modified by enzymes that erase methyl marks. These findings imply a new mechanism of gene-regulation based on RNA modifications, an exciting new addition to epigenetic regulations on DNA and proteins. He and coworkers have already shown a relationship between one such mark, m6A, and cell differentiation and cancer. Epitranscriptome analysis was recently celebrated as Method of the Year in Nature Methods.