Blanca Valle, Author at What is Epigenetics?

About Blanca Valle

Blanca Valle received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus. She completed postdoctoral training at NIH and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she studied cancer chemo-preventive agents and tumor progression using ovarian cancer cells and mouse models, and performed epigenetic studies to identify biomarkers in body fluids of ovarian and cervical cancer patients. Besides her passion for the cancer and epigenetic research fields, she also loves to dance, jog, and read.

A Novel Role for RNA Methylation (m6A) in the DNA Damage Response

May 18, 2017 Blanca Valle

Every day our cells undergo substantial amounts of DNA damage from exogenous and endogenous sources. UV light, in particular, can cause an estimated 100,000 lesions per cell every day. Left unrepaired, these DNA lesions could lead to induction of senescence, cell death or mutations, which could be responsible for the development of cancer, neurodegeneration and several other diseases. However, our organisms have developed a mechanism to recognize the DNA damage caused by UV light and other damaging agents, in the [more…]

Eukaryotic Writers, Erasers and Readers protein of Histone Acetylation and Methylation system Database

Introducing WERAM: Find Integrated Info on Your Histone Regulator in Your Favorite Species

January 5, 2017 Blanca Valle

Recently Dr. Yu Xue’s group, at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, developed a database designated as Eukaryotic Writers, Erasers and Readers protein of Histone Acetylation and Methylation system Database (WERAM). WERAM is a comprehensive database containing integrated information on the writers, erasers, and readers of histone acetylation and methylation. Namely writers are the enzymes that catalyze acetylation and methylation, the erasers are the enzymes that remove these marks, and the readers are proteins that recognize and interact [more…]

The Epigenetic Marks of Circulating Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA)

September 16, 2016 Blanca Valle

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are small DNA fragments found circulating in plasma or serum, as well as other bodily fluids. The cfDNA isolated from plasma usually contains fragments of about ~170-500 bp, mostly corresponding to ~170 bp mononucleosomal and ~300 bp dinucleosomal DNA fragments [1,2], thought to arise mostly from apoptotic cells. In addition, larger fragments (>1,000 bp) are often detected, thought to arise mostly from necrotic cells. In healthy individuals, the levels of cfDNA in plasma/serum are generally low, ranging between [more…]

Articles by Blanca Valle

A Novel Role for RNA Methylation (m6A) in the DNA Damage Response

Introducing WERAM: Find Integrated Info on Your Histone Regulator in Your Favorite Species

The Epigenetic Marks of Circulating Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA)

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