Connection Between Epigenome, Selective Mutability, Evolution, and Human Disease
Li, Harris et al., PLoS Genetics
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and elsewhere propose a "connection between the epigenome, selective mutability, evolution, and human disease" based on the findings of their study on associations of structural mutability with germline DNA methylation and with non-allelic homologous recombination mediated by low-copy repeats. "Combined evidence from four human sperm methylome maps, human genome evolution, structural polymorphisms in the human population, and previous genomic and disease studies consistently points to a strong association of germline hypomethylation and genomic instability," the Baylor-led team writes.
Insider Lessons
Prof-Like Substance shares what he's learned since becoming an associate journal editor two months ago. "Like it or not, we are the vehicle that drives the speed of publication," Prof-Like says, as he lays out his experience so far. He says that when it comes to papers that are "seemingly similar in content and quality," it's typically easier for journal editors to find reviewers for those manuscripts that list prominent authors than those that do not. "I assume that people are more willing to spend their time reviewing for those they see as producing good work," Prof-Like says. He adds that having a paper rejected prior to review is often "better than dragging the process out. ... Rather than going through the whole review process, only to have the manuscript spit out the other end, you can now reformat and send somewhere else," he says. "Not ideal, but the better of two bad options." Finally, Prof-Like adds that timeliness is important. "If you sit on reviews, you lose the right to complain about time in review," he says.