COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Tues., Sept. 1, 2009) — Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is an invaluable method for studying the interactions between proteins and DNA on a genome-wide scale. ChIP can be used to determine whether a transcription factor interacts with a candidate target gene, and is used to monitor the presence of histones with posttranslational modifications at specific genomic locations. The results are often extremely useful for investigating the functions of specific transcription factors or histone modifications. In the September issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (www.cshprotocols.org/TOCs/toc9_09.dtl), Michael Carey (http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/biological-chemistry/institution/personnel?personnel_id=45403), Craig Peterson (http://www.umassmed.edu/pmm/faculty/peterson.cfm), and Stephen Smale (http://dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu/institution/personnel?personnel_id=45693) present “Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP),” an optimized protocol for use in mammalian cells. The article is freely available on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/cgi/content/full/2009/9/pdb.prot5279).
Phage-based E. coli homologous recombination systems have been extensively developed in recent years, and these recombination-mediated genetic engineering (“recombineering”) methods are now the preferred technique for carrying out genetic modifications in chromosomes and plasmids. Recombineering is efficient and precise and circumvents many of the problems of traditional genetic engineering methods, primarily the need to locate specific restriction enzyme sites. “Construction of Gene-Targeting Vectors by Recombineering,” from Pentao Liu and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Teams/faculty/liu/) gives detailed instructions for using recombineering to construct targeting vectors for the generation of conditional knockout mice. The article is freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/cgi/content/full/2009/9/pdb.prot5291).
About Cold Spring Harbor Protocols: Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (www.cshprotocols.org) is a monthly peer-reviewed journal of methods used in a wide range of biology laboratories. It is structured to be highly interactive, with each protocol cross-linked to related methods, descriptive information panels, and illustrative material to maximize the total information available to investigators. Each protocol is clearly presented and designed for easy use at the bench — complete with reagents, equipment, and recipe lists. Life science researchers can access the entire collection via institutional site licenses, and can add their suggestions and comments to further refine the techniques.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is an internationally renowned publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, located on Long Island, New York. Since 1933, it has furthered the advance and spread of scientific knowledge in all areas of genetics and molecular biology, including cancer biology, plant science, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. It is a division of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an innovator in life science research and the education of scientists, students, and the public. For more information, visit www.cshlpress.com.
