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Updated: May 9, 2026

Cell Surface Marker Mediated Purification of iPS Cell Intermediates from a Reprogrammable Mouse Model
Published on: September 6, 2014
Genomic imprinting is variably lost during reprogramming of mouse iPS cells
Sachiko Takikawa1, Chelsea Ray1, Xin Wang1
1Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Department of Oncological Sciences, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Genomic imprinting is variably lost during induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell reprogramming. This loss of epigenetic marks and gene expression in iPS cells suggests reprogramming impacts genomic imprinting maintenance.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Genomic imprinting
- Stem cell biology
Background:
- Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell derivation involves epigenetic reprogramming.
- The reprogramming of genomic imprinting during iPS cell generation remains controversial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reprogramming of genomic imprinting in mouse iPS cells.
- To determine if epigenetic reprogramming affects parental origin-specific DNA methylation and gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of multiple iPS clones from genetically identical mouse somatic cells.
- Analysis of DNA methylation at imprinted regions (Snrpn, Peg3, Zac1).
- Assessment of parental origin-specific gene expression (Snrpn, Zim1).
Main Results:
- Variable loss of parental genomic imprinting observed across iPS clones.
- Loss of DNA methylation and parental origin-specific gene expression correlated with reprogramming.
- De novo methylation at imprinted regions observed on paternal chromosomes in a subset of iPS clones.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic reprogramming during iPS cell derivation can lead to the erasure of genomic imprinting.
- Extended culture of iPS cells does not significantly increase imprinting loss.
- These findings have implications for iPS cell-based therapies and understanding genomic imprinting mechanisms.
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