Are Scientists Being Fooled by Bacteria? New Machine Learning Algorithm Reveals
Previous studies of a genetic on/off switch may have been confounded by contamination, but Mount Sinai scientists have created a new tool for accurately determining whether it plays a role in human disease.
For decades, a small group of cutting-edge medical researchers have been studying a biochemical, 
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai developed an advanced method for determining whether cells may use an obscure DNA tagging system for turning genes on or off. Credit: Courtesy of Do lab, Mount Sinai, N.Y., N.Y.
The study focused on DNA adenine methylation, a biochemical reaction which attaches a chemical, called a methyl group, to an adenine, one of the four building block molecules used to construct lengthy DNA strands and encode genes. This can “epigenetically” activate or silence genes without actually altering DNA sequences. For instance, it is known that adenine methylation plays a critical role in how some bacteria defend themselves against viruses.
For decades, scientists…
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