Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

2.0K
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012...
2.0K
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming01:24

Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming

1.4K
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for...
1.4K
Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells01:32

Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells

1.5K
Chromatin modification alters gene expression; therefore, scientists can add histone-modifying enzymes, histone variants, and chromatin remodeling complexes to somatic cells to aid reprogramming into pluripotent stem (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...
1.5K
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming01:14

Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming

1.3K
Nuclear reprogramming is the process of switching gene expression of one cell type to that of another cell type, usually from a differentiated cell state to an undifferentiated cell state. Differentiation occurs during processes such as development and morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and malignancy. Cells can also be artificially induced to reprogram their gene expression by techniques such as nuclear transfer, induced pluripotency, and cell fusion. Such techniques have many applications in...
1.3K
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing02:41

Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing

6.6K
In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
6.6K
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins02:36

RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

8.8K
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
8.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Addressing the package: Cell-specific gene delivery using lentiviral vectors.

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy·2026
Same author

Next-generation LMP2A-targeting TCR-recombinant T cells with inducible IL-18 expression to treat EBV-associated malignancies.

Molecular therapy. Oncology·2026
Same author

Septin7 is essential in early hematopoiesis, but redundant at later stages.

Life science alliance·2026
Same author

The German National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies: Generating Impact by Employing a Novel Multi-Stakeholder Approach.

Human gene therapy·2026
Same author

Mitochondrial NADH-redox inflexibility constrains genomic and epigenetic stability in pluripotent stem cells.

The EMBO journal·2026
Same author

Capsid-engineered AAV vector overcomes a key intracellular barrier and efficiently transduces spiral ganglion neurons in adult mice.

Molecular therapy. Advances·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 22, 2026

RNA-based Reprogramming of Human Primary Fibroblasts into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
11:38

RNA-based Reprogramming of Human Primary Fibroblasts into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: November 26, 2018

11.5K

Transcriptional pause release is a rate-limiting step for somatic cell reprogramming.

Longqi Liu1, Yan Xu1, Minghui He2

  • 1Laboratory of Chromatin and Human Disease, Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou 510530, China; Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou 510530, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.

Cell Stem Cell
|October 15, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) promotes the productive transcription of pluripotency genes by releasing paused RNA polymerase II (Pol II). This finding reveals a key mechanism in somatic cell reprogramming and highlights KLF4

More Related Videos

Selecting and Isolating Colonies of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reprogrammed from Adult Fibroblasts
13:23

Selecting and Isolating Colonies of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reprogrammed from Adult Fibroblasts

Published on: February 20, 2012

19.5K
Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming
08:56

Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming

Published on: July 30, 2016

6.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 22, 2026

RNA-based Reprogramming of Human Primary Fibroblasts into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
11:38

RNA-based Reprogramming of Human Primary Fibroblasts into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: November 26, 2018

11.5K
Selecting and Isolating Colonies of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reprogrammed from Adult Fibroblasts
13:23

Selecting and Isolating Colonies of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reprogrammed from Adult Fibroblasts

Published on: February 20, 2012

19.5K
Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming
08:56

Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming

Published on: July 30, 2016

6.0K

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics
  • Cellular Reprogramming

Background:

  • Somatic cell reprogramming reactivates pluripotency networks, involving chromatin remodeling and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) recruitment.
  • Pol II engagement at pluripotency promoters during reprogramming is often characterized by pausing and inefficient release.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism regulating transcriptional pause release of pluripotency genes during somatic cell reprogramming.
  • To investigate the role of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) and KLF4 in transcriptional regulation during reprogramming.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Pol II engagement and pausing at pluripotency gene promoters.
  • Investigating the interaction between BRD4, P-TEFb, HEXIM1, and KLF4.
  • Assessing the impact of BRD4 and HEXIM1 modulation (overexpression, knockdown) on reprogramming efficiency.
  • Studying the recruitment of P-TEFb by KLF4.

Main Results:

  • Pol II is engaged but remains paused at pluripotency promoters during reprogramming.
  • BRD4 facilitates productive transcriptional elongation by dissociating P-TEFb from HEXIM1.
  • BRD4 overexpression enhances reprogramming, while HEXIM1 suppresses it; knockdown yields opposite effects.
  • KLF4 recruits P-TEFb to pluripotency promoters, indicating a role in pause release.

Conclusions:

  • BRD4 plays a crucial role in stimulating transcriptional elongation of pluripotency genes by regulating P-TEFb activity.
  • KLF4 contributes to reprogramming by facilitating P-TEFb recruitment, thereby promoting transcriptional pause release.
  • This study reveals a novel mechanism for pluripotency gene reactivation and highlights KLF4's unexpected role in transcriptional pause release.