Estephany Ferrufino, Author at What is Epigenetics?

About Estephany Ferrufino

Estephany Ferrufino received her M.S. in Biology from Hofstra University. Her thesis research was on Octopine Dehydrogenase response to environmental and physiological hypoxia and its possible regulation by Hypoxia-Inducible Factor. When she’s not in the lab you can find her either watching or playing soccer, or hiking with her beautiful Siberian husky.

epigenetics, obesity, and how you can adjust lifestyle to improve health

Epigenetics Clues to Obesity and How Lifestyle Changes Could Modify Your Epigenetic Profile

May 1, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

Adiposity is a condition of being severely overweight or obese and it has numerous connections to epigenetics. Understanding more about the epigenetics underlying obesity could help to introduce preventions based on lifestyle changes which may be able to modify our epigenetic marks and improve health. A rough measure of obesity is body mass index, BMI, which can be calculated by dividing one’s body weight in kilogram by the body height in square meters. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [more…]

Epigenetic mechanism DNA methylation could help veterans with PTSD

Researchers Combine Epigenetics and Brain Imaging to Help Combat PTSD

April 3, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health issue that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or intensely stressful event. PTSD can exert an enormous toll on an individual’s life, affecting their daily activities and relationships. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 of every 100 people will experience this disorder at some point in their lives. Anyone can develop PTSD at any age, including children, war veterans, and people who have been [more…]

A Western Diet May Adjust Epigenetic Marks on Children’s DNA and Damage The Nervous System

March 22, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

A recent study has shown that following a western diet even before your child is born may lead to dysfunction of his or her autonomic nervous system via epigenetic changes. A western diet is high in saturated fats, red meats, and empty carbohydrates while being low in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, seafood and poultry. Eating this way has been linked to many diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Now, research suggests epigenetics may be involved in [more…]

Paternal Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Influence Epigenetic Inheritance

February 28, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

There is strong evidence that suggests certain environmental or lifestyle factors may lead to increased risk of developing chronic diseases. These factors such as diet, behavior, stress, exposure to pollutants, and physical activity have been known to cause epigenetic changes which may be passed down from one generation to the next. It is believed that a father’s exposure to environmental factors can play a role in an offspring’s epigenetic patterns and health. Recent evidence suggests that sperm epigenetic modifications can [more…]

Erasure of Tet-Oxidized 5-Methylcytosine by SRAP1

February 9, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic mechanism that plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression during embryonic development. The erasure of Tet-oxidized 5-Methylcytosine (5-mC) is not only important during the reprogramming steps but as well as the cell differentiation stages of development. In their study, Kweon et al. (2017) have shown that the SOS response-associated peptidase domain protein, SRAP1, binds to Tet-oxidized forms of 5-mC in DNA and selectively cleave DNA containing Tet-oxidized 5-methylcytosine. They also reveal [more…]

CRISPR/Cas9-Based Engineering of the Epigenome

January 25, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

It is a challenge to determine a cause and effect relationship between a distinct epigenetic mark and the ultimate behavior and function of the affected cell. However, CRISPR/Cas9 has provided the opportunity for investigators to manipulate the epigenome and observe the effects that it may have on cell function, development, and differentiation. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been further expanded with the engineering of the nuclease-deficient version, dCas9, which can be used to directly manipulate a specific regulatory region or epigenetic [more…]

Temporal Control of Mammalian Cortical Neurogenesis by m6A Methylation

January 4, 2018 Estephany Ferrufino

Neurogenesis is a highly coordinated process with sequential waves of tightly controlled changes in gene expression. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), is believed to play a role in the epitranscriptomic mechanism that controls mammalian cortical neurogenesis. M6A is the most abundant modification in mRNA and is found in most eukaryotic cells. It is installed by the methyltransferase complex, consisting of methyltransferase-like 3 (Mettl3) and methyltransferase-like 14 (Mettl14) as the SAM-binding sub-unit. The role of m6A modification in cancer has previously been investigated. Now, [more…]

Panic Attacks and Anxiety Disorders May Have Epigenetic Influence

Panic Disorder Might Have an Epigenetic Explanation

December 18, 2017 Estephany Ferrufino

Fight-or-flight is a physiological response that occurs when an individual has been exposed to a perceived threat. This well-known stress response pathway is critical for the survival of many organisms. However, people with different types of anxiety-driven disorders can experience intense stress even with little to no stimuli. For individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, the feeling of worry and anxiety do not go away. The recurring waves of fear that set off a fight-or-flight response may interfere with daily [more…]

An Overview of Single-Cell Epigenomics Methods

December 7, 2017 Estephany Ferrufino

Although cells have the same genetic material, they can function differently. Single-cell RNA sequencing has revealed how heterogeneous the transriptome of an individual cell may be with a homogeneous cell population or tissue. Single-cell genome sequencing has provided insights into genomic variations that occur in physiology and in diseases. Today we can probe the majority of epigenetic dimensions with single-cell resolution through multiple methods (Table 1). Studying individual cells offers insight into molecular components of the genome and its functional [more…]

Could the Mediterranean Diet During Pregnancy Epigenetically Reduce a Child’s Disease Risk?

November 28, 2017 Estephany Ferrufino

The Mediterranean diet has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Taking this a step further, research is now pointing to the epigenetic benefits abiding by a Mediterranean diet could have while pregnant. The main components of this healthy eating pattern might epigenetically protect the fetus from developing diseases later in life by adjusting what are called histone modifications. Inspired by the ancient communities like Greece, Spain, and Italy, this diet emphasizes [more…]

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Articles by Estephany Ferrufino