Transcription Factor Reprogramming
Transcription Factor Reprogramming - Related Videos
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Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with Transcription Factors to Induce a Hemogenic Program
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Cited by 1 •
2016
The protocol described here details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts via overexpression of a minimal set of transcription factors. This technology may be translated to the human system to provide platforms for future study of hematopoiesis, hematologic disease, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
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Transcription Factors
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2019
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
09:29
Assessing Cardiomyocyte Subtypes Following Transcription Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts
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Cited by 5 •
2017
This manuscript describes a step-by-step protocol for the generation and quantification of diverse reprogrammed cardiac subtypes using a retrovirus-mediated delivery of Gata4, Hand2, Mef2c, and Tbx5.
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Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with a Four Transcription Factor, Doxycycline Inducible Lentiviral Transduction System
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Cited by 22 •
2009
The Stemgent Dox Inducible Mouse TF Lentivirus Set can reprogram mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Here we demonstrate the protocol for DOX-inducible expression of mouse reprogramming transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc to generate iPS colonies that express common mES pluripotency markers.
02:35
Transcription Elongation Factors
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2020
Transcription elongation is a dynamic process that alters depending upon the sequence heterogeneity of the DNA being transcribed. Hence, it is not surprising that the elongation complex's composition also varies along the way while transcribing a gene. The transcription elongation is regulated via pausing of RNA polymerase on several occasions during transcription. In bacteria, these halts are necessary because the transcription of DNA into mRNA is coupled to the translation of that mRNA into a...
FAQs
The selected factors bind DNA regulatory regions associated with particular genes and recruit chromatin-modifying machinery. This combination changes how accessible and active those regulatory regions are, allowing lineage-associated genes to become expressed while components of the previous identity network are repressed. The outcome depends on coordinated changes across the gene-expression program rather than on activation of a single gene.
Activating genes linked to a new lineage is only part of the identity change. The existing cellular program must also be repressed so that it no longer maintains the starting state. This opposing action helps explain how a differentiated cell can move toward pluripotency or another specialized identity, while illustrating how gene-regulatory networks stabilize cellular states.
Induced pluripotency redirects a differentiated cell into an induced pluripotent stem cell state, creating a broadly flexible intermediate identity. Direct conversion instead moves the starting cell toward a specialized cell type without passing through pluripotency. This distinction gives researchers different experimental routes for studying cell identity, depending on whether they need a flexible intermediate or a defined lineage outcome.
A successful workflow must coordinate several linked events: selected regulatory proteins must engage appropriate DNA regulatory regions, chromatin-modifying machinery must be recruited, lineage-associated genes must be activated, and the former identity network must be repressed. Considering these events as one program helps researchers interpret whether the intended cellular state has been established rather than focusing on an isolated gene change.
The approach provides a way to examine how cellular identities are established, maintained, and altered during development. It also supports disease modeling by generating relevant cellular states for investigation, allowing researchers to connect changes in gene-expression programs with biological phenotypes. These uses make reprogramming a framework for studying developmental processes and disease-related mechanisms in controlled research settings.
Transcription factor reprogramming can generate induced pluripotent stem cells or direct cells toward specialized types, creating biological systems for testing therapies and exploring regenerative strategies. Its value lies in linking controlled changes in cell identity with potential therapeutic investigation. At the same time, the method highlights the need to understand how stable cellular programs are altered when considering future regenerative applications.