Global DNA demethylation is an integral part of reprogramming processes in vivo and in vitro, but whether it occurs in the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is not known. Here, we show that iPSC reprogramming involves both global and targeted demethylation, which are separable mechanistically and by their biological outcomes. Cells at intermediate-late stages of reprogramming...

The creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells by ectopic expression of transcription factors has galvanized the fields of regenerative medicine and developmental biology. Here, we report a kinome-wide RNAi-based analysis to identify kinases that regulate somatic cell reprogramming to iPSCs. We prepared 3,686 small hairpin RNA (shRNA) lentiviruses targeting 734 kinase...

Mammalian oocytes can reprogram somatic cells into a totipotent state enabling animal cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, the majority of SCNT embryos fail to develop to term due to undefined reprogramming defects. Here, we identify histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) of donor cell genome as a major barrier for efficient reprogramming by SCNT. Comparative tra...

The homeodomain transcription factor Nanog plays an important role in embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and is essential for acquiring ground-state pluripotency during reprogramming. Understanding how Nanog is transcriptionally regulated is important for further dissecting mechanisms of ESC pluripotency and somatic cell reprogramming. Here, we report that Nanog is subjected to a negative a...

Epigenetic memory represents a natural mechanism whereby the identity of a cell is maintained through successive cell cycles, allowing the specification and maintenance of differentiation during development and in adult cells. Cancer is a loss or reversal of the stable differentiated state of adult cells and may be mediated in part by epigenetic changes. The identity of somatic cells can also b...

Microvesicles (MVs) are released by different cell types and may remain in the extracellular space in proximity of the cell of origin or may enter the biological fluids. MVs released by tumor cells are detectable in patients with cancer and their number in the circulation correlates with poor prognosis. Recent studies demonstrated that MVs may act as mediator of cell-to-cell communication thus ...

Mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) is essential for embryonic development, anti-apoptotic events, protection against free radical-induced lesions, and mitochondrial fusion in many cells. However, little is known about its mechanism and function during oocyte maturation. In this study, we found that Mfn2 was expressed in the cytoplasm during different stages of mouse oocyte maturation. Mfn2 was mainly associate...

Cell fusion is a potent approach to explore the mechanisms of somatic cells reprogramming. However, previous fusion methods, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) mediated cell fusion, are often limited by poor fusion yields. In this study, we developed a simplified cell electrofusion chip, which was based on a micro-cavity/ discrete microelectrode structure to improve the fusion efficiency and to ...

Background/Aims Cancer is known to be a disease by many factors. However, specific results of reprogramming by pluripotency-related transcription factors remain to be scarcely reported. Here, we verified potential effects of pluripotent-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma cancer cells. Methods To better understand reprogramming of cancer cells in different genetic backgrounds, we used f...