Epigenetics of Cell Programming and Reprogramming

About this Research Topic

Background

Life begins with fertilization, the process by which sperm and oocyte are fused into a totipotent cell. Along with this cell’s division and proliferation, its daughter cells achieve their different fates through programmed gene expression. Furthermore, various stem cells can differentiate into different functional cells in vivo or in vitro. During differentiation, the expression of genes in stem cells changes depending on their fates. Epigenetic information, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications or variants, higher-order chromatin structures, and noncoding RNAs, plays a supportive or regulatory role in gene expression and maintaining cell identity. Besides, environmental factors can affect embryo development and increase the risk of cancer. Some environmental exposures interfere with epigenetic modification and alter gene expression. As a result, further research into the epigenetics of cell programming is critical to understanding the development of tissues and organs, as well as decreasing the risk of cancer.

Cell reprogramming is a reverse cell programming process that can revert terminally differentiated somatic cells into new embryos (cloned embryos) or pluripotent stem cells. The cloned embryos can give birth to fetuses by mimicking fertilized embryos, and pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into somatic cells. During this process, gene expression changes dramatically without altering DNA sequences. Reprogramming methods include somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) technique by introducing four factors, Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 (commonly referred to as the “Yamanaka factors”) or chemical stimulation. To establish a new pattern of gene expression, all of these methods must erase and initiate new epigenetic modifications. If somatic-specific epigenetic modification cannot be completely reversed, the efficiency of cell reprogramming will be reduced significantly. So various epigenetic modifications impeding cell programming must be identified. More methods, such as H3K9me3 demethylase overexpression, TSA treatment, or DNA demethylase overexpression can then be developed to overcome these epigenetic barriers. Understanding the epigenetics of cell reprogramming can help to generate new approaches to improve the efficiency of therapeutic and reproductive cloning.

This Research Topic focuses on the epigenetic dynamics and regulation that occur during embryo development, stem cell differentiation and cell reprogramming. The growing understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell programming and reprogramming will provide exciting new insights into cell fate control.

We welcome the submission of Original Research articles and Reviews that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• Epigenetic regulation of embryo development；
• Epigenetic regulation of stem cell differentiation；
• Epigenetic regulation of cell reprogramming；
• Environmental effects on the epigenetics of cell programming.

Keywords: epigenetics, embryo, development, stem cell, differentiation, cell reprogramming

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