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Updated: May 8, 2026

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
Chromatin changes in reprogramming of mammalian somatic cells
Rong Xu1, Shiqiang Zhang, Anmin Lei
1College of Veterinary Medicine, Shaanxi Centre of Stem Cells Engineering and Technology, Key Lab for Animal Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture of China, Northwest A&F University , Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China .
Abstract:
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), cell fusion, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technologies are three strategies that allow reprogramming somatic cells into the pluripotent state; however, the efficiency is low and the mechanisms are not fully clear. In addition, there are reports that changes in chromatin play a critical role in these reprogramming strategies by modulating binding of transcription factors to their targets. In this review, we mainly discuss inactivation of the X chromosome, chromatin decondensation and remodeling, histone modifications, and histone variants in the three strategies. This review will provide an insight for future nuclear reprogramming research.
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