Chd1 protects genome integrity at promoters to sustain hypertranscription in embryonic stem cells

Open chromatin and hypertranscription in embryonic stem cells.

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Efroni et al. (2008) use tiling microarrays to reveal genome-wide hypertranscription in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), including expression of normally silent, noncoding regions. Hypertranscription may reflect the unusual "open" structure of ESC chromatin.

Genomic Integrity of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Genome-wide mapping and analysis of active promoters in mouse embryonic stem cells and adult organs.

By integrating genome-wide maps of RNA polymerase II (Polr2a) binding with gene expression data and H3ac and H3K4me3 profiles, we characterized promoters with enriched activity in mouse embryonic stem cells (mES) as well as adult brain, heart, kidney, and liver. We identified approximately 24,000 promoters across these samples, including 16,976 annotated mRNA 5' ends and 5153 additional sites v...

Genome modification in human embryonic stem cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has emerged as the most promising method for generating patient-specific human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult stem cells (Takahashi et al., 2007, Cell 131:861-872; Wernig et al., 2007, Nature 448:318-324; Park et al., 2008, Nature 451:141-146). So far, most studies of direct reprogramming have been done by using lentiviruses/retroviruses enco...

Comparing the Expression Levels of Alkaline Phosphatase, Gfra1, Lin28, and Sall4 Genes in Embryonic Stem Cells, Spermatogonial Stem Cells, and Embryonic Stem-Like Cells in Mice

Background and purpose: Spermatogenesis is a well-organized process that is influenced by a variety of factors. Alkaline phosphatase, and Gfra1, Lin28, and Sall4 genes are among the key players in this interconnected process. This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of Gfra1, Lin28, and Sall4 genes in embryonic, spermatogonial, and embryonic stem-like (ES-like) cells in mice. Mate...