Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: July 22, 2008
Chromatin structure of pluripotent stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
Paul Delgado-Olguín1, Félix Recillas-Targa
1Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco, 1650 Owens street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. pdelgado@gladstone.ucsf.edu
Abstract:
Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells are specialized cells with a dynamic chromatin structure, which is intimately connected with their pluripotency and physiology. In recent years somatic cells have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent state through over-expression of a defined set of transcription factors. These cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, recapitulate ES cell properties and can be differentiated to apparently all cell lineages, making iPS cells a suitable replacement for ES cells in future regenerative medicine. Chromatin modifiers play a key function in establishing and maintaining pluripotency, therefore, elucidating the mechanisms controlling chromatin structure in both ES and iPS cells is of utmost importance to understanding their properties and harnessing their therapeutic potential. In this review, we discuss recent studies that provide a genome-wide view of the chromatin structure signature in ES cells and iPS cells and that highlight the central role of histone modifiers and chromatin remodelers in pluripotency maintenance and induction.
Related Concept Videos
Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
Compact chromatin makes reprogramming difficult. Enzymes, such as histone demethylases and acetyltransferases, are often added during reprogramming to loosen the chromatin, making the DNA more accessible to transcription factors. Molecules that inhibit histone...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic cells are...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Maintenance of the ES Cell State
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures

