About this Research Topic
Stem cells’ lineage choice is a process finely governed epigenetically. Alternative developmental programs are either activated or repressed, in response to environmental cues, via the concerted action of tissue-specific transcription factors and chromatin modifying enzymes that regulate chromatin structure by inducing post-translational modifications of histones. In the last two decades, application of global epi-genomic approaches has dramatically increased our understanding on how epigenetic modifiers shape the transcriptional output of nearly all mammalian cells. The challenge now is to apply these approaches to finely understand the epigenetic mechanisms governing metaplastic cell fate changes during tissue regeneration and disease. Emerging technologies (i.e. single-cell transcriptomics) promises to provide new insights on how cell fate of even rare stem cells populations is epigenetically modulated in response to injury or in diseased conditions. Since chromatin modifying enzymes offer now a reservoir of possible druggable targets, we predict that expanding our knowledge on how these enzymes are involved in dictating stem cells fate choices will inspire next-generation epigenetic approaches to modulate cell fates therapeutically.
In this Research Topic, we welcome original research and review articles that will contribute to the understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms might be harnessed to effectively enhance stem cells plasticity during regeneration and physiological aging. Of particular interest will be also contributions addressing how epigenetic events contribute instead to pathological plasticity in cancer and degenerative diseases.
Keywords: Stem cells, epigenetics, cancer, chromatin, regeneration
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.