Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
10:28
Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
7.0K
Chromatin Control of Developmental Dynamics and Plasticity
Matteo Perino1, Gert Jan C Veenstra1
1Radboud University, Faculty of Science, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Developmental Cell
|September 28, 2016
Summary
Chromatin remodeling shapes cell identity during development. Epigenetic changes, including DNA demethylation and 3D chromatin contacts, establish an epigenetic framework for embryonic development and lineage maintenance.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Developmental Biology
- Chromatin Biology
- Gene Regulation
Background:
- Chromatin structure is fundamentally linked to gene expression and cellular identity.
- Understanding the dynamic epigenetic landscape is crucial for deciphering developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding chromatin structure's role in development.
- To discuss how epigenetic landscape remodeling drives cell identity, lineage specification, and maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature and studies.
- Analysis of epigenetic modifications and chromatin architecture.
- Discussion of gene regulatory mechanisms during embryonic development.
Main Results:
- Cellular identity establishment during development involves large-scale epigenetic landscape remodeling.
- Maternal factors influence the early embryonic epigenetic landscape.
- 3D chromatin contacts enable selective enhancer cluster usage, activating transcription factor networks.
- DNA demethylation of key regulatory regions is conserved in regulating developmental pathways.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic remodeling is a critical driver of lineage specification and maintenance.
- These processes collectively establish an epigenetic framework that governs embryonic development phases.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
2.3K
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...
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...
2.3K
02:41Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
8.4K
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...
The chromatin structure, especially...
8.4K
03:17Inheritance of Chromatin Structures
7.8K
Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in a cell's phenotype without changing the DNA sequences. It provides a form of memory for the differential gene expression pattern to maintain cell lineage, position-effect variegation, dosage compensation, and maintenance of chromatin structures such as telomeres and centromeres. For example, the structure and location of the centromere on chromosomes are epigenetically inherited. Its functionality is not dictated or ensured by the underlying...
7.8K
02:33Combinatorial Gene Control
9.8K
Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
9.8K
01:37Epigenetic Regulation
4.1K
Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
X-chromosome...
4.1K
01:46Epigenetic Regulation
34.2K
Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
34.2K