Epigenetic Regulation in Cell Reprogramming Revealed by Genome-Wide Analysis

Abstract

Cell reprogramming has been known to accompany cell type-specific epigenetic alterations of the genome. Chromatin structure and dynamics influenced by epigenetic factors such as covalent histone modifications, histone variants, DNA methylation, ncRNAs and chromatin remodeling play an important role in determining cell fate. The rapid progress made with the development of high-throughput technology and the systematic assessment of accumulated data has enabled the identification of previously unknown biological processes and disease states in terms of whole-genome profiles of epigenetic signatures at a high resolution. In this article, we discuss the fundamental advances and challenges over the past several years in our knowledge of chromatin state and gene transcription programs associated with epigenetic changes during cell reprogramming processes. In particular, histone modifications, DNA methylation and transcriptome analyses in genome-scale studies will be reviewed to characterize a functional cross-talk between epigenetic and transcriptional regulations in cell reprogramming.

KEYWORDS::

• cell reprogramming
• DNA methylation
• embryonic stem cell
• epigenetic regulation
• epigenome sequencing
• histone modification
• induced pluripotent stem cell
• small RNA

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the World Class University program (R31-2008-000-10105-0) and the Future-oriented technology development program (20100020259) through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and a grant of the Korea Healthcare technology R & D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (A062260). Chang Pyo Hong and Jihwan Park were supported by the Brain Korea 21 project, Republic of Korea. 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

This work was supported by the World Class University program (R31-2008-000-10105-0) and the Future-oriented technology development program (20100020259) through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and a grant of the Korea Healthcare technology R & D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (A062260). Chang Pyo Hong and Jihwan Park were supported by the Brain Korea 21 project, Republic of Korea. 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.