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Dissecting the Mechanisms of Cellular Reprogramming
Author(s) -
Hochedlinger Konrad
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.66.3
Subject(s) - reprogramming , induced pluripotent stem cell , embryonic stem cell , biology , somatic cell , microbiology and biotechnology , epigenetics , cellular differentiation , transcription factor , stem cell , genetics , gene
My lab is studying the mechanisms of cellular reprogramming using transcription factor‐mediated conversion of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We are mapping the transcriptional and epigenetic changes cells undergo during iPSC formation with the goal to identify regulators that determine cellular identity. For example, we have shown that the Tgf‐beta and p53 pathways act as barriers during iPSC derivation, and their manipulation enhances reprogramming efficiency. Similarly, the differentiation state of the starting cells can influence reprogramming, with less differentiated cells being more amenable to reprogramming than terminally differentiated cells. We have generated the first integration‐free iPSC lines, thus eliminating a major roadblock for the therapeutic application of reprogramming technology. More recently, we identified a gene expression signature that distinguishes iPSCs from embryonic stem cells, allowing us to isolate highest quality iPSCs.