MacroH2A in Stem Cells: A Story Beyond Gene Repression

Abstract

The importance of epigenetic mechanisms is most clearly illustrated during early development when a totipotent cell goes through multiple cell fate transitions to form the many different cell types and tissues that constitute the embryo and the adult. The exchange of a canonical H2A histone for the ‘repressive‘ macroH2A variant is one of the most striking epigenetic chromatin alterations that can occur at the level of the nucleosome. Here, we discuss recent data on macroH2A in zebrafish and mouse embryos, in embryonic and adult stem cells and also in nuclear reprogramming. We highlight the role of macroH2A in the establishment and maintenance of differentiated states and we discuss its still poorly recognized function in transcriptional activation.

KEYWORDS::

• chromatin
• differentiation
• embryonic development
• epigenetics
• histone variants
• macroH2A
• stem cells

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank V Pasque for his comments on the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Research in the Buschbeck laboratory is supported by Spanish MICINN grants (SAF2009-08496 and RYC2010-07337). C Creppe holds a postdoctoral FEBS fellowship, J Douet a postdoctoral Beatriu de Pinós contract (AGAUR), M Posavec a predoctoral FI fellowship (AGAUR) and M Buschbeck is a Ramón Y Cajal fellow (MICINN). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Research in the Buschbeck laboratory is supported by Spanish MICINN grants (SAF2009-08496 and RYC2010-07337). C Creppe holds a postdoctoral FEBS fellowship, J Douet a postdoctoral Beatriu de Pinós contract (AGAUR), M Posavec a predoctoral FI fellowship (AGAUR) and M Buschbeck is a Ramón Y Cajal fellow (MICINN). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.