The transcriptional foundation of pluripotency

Research output: Contribution to journalLiterature reviewpeer-review

Abstract

A fundamental goal in biology is to understand the molecular basis of cell identity. Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cell identity is governed by a set of transcription factors centred on the triumvirate of Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog. These proteins often bind to closely localised genomic sites. Recent studies have identified additional transcriptional modulators that bind to chromatin near sites occupied by Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog. This suggests that the combinatorial control of gene transcription might be fundamental to the ES cell state. Here we discuss how these observations advance our understanding of the transcription factor network that controls pluripotent identity and highlight unresolved issues that arise from these studies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2311-2322
Number of pages12
JournalDevelopment
Volume136
Issue number14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2009

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • embryonic stem cells, chIP-seq

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