TRIM28 epigenetic corepressor is indispensable for stable induced pluripotent stem cell formation

Cellular reprogramming proceeds in a stepwise pathway initiated by binding and transcription of pluripotency factors followed by genome-wide epigenetic changes. Priming events, such as erasure of DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling determines the success of pluripotency acquisition later. Therefore, growing efforts are made to understand epigenetic regulatory network that makes reprogramming possible and efficient. Here, we analyze the role of transcriptional corepressor TRIM28, involved in heterochromatin formation, during the process of reprogramming of mouse somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). We demonstrate that Trim28 knockdown (Trim28 KD) causes that emerging iPS cells differentiate immediately back into MEFs therefore they fail to yield stable iPS cell colonies. To better comprehend the mechanism of TRIM28 action in reprogramming, we performed a reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) using in excess of 300 different antibodies and compared the proteomic profiles of wild-type and Trim28 KD cells during reprogramming. We revealed the differences in the dynamics of reprogramming of wild-type and Trim28 KD cells. Interestingly, proteomic profile of Trim28 KD cells at the final stage of reprogramming resembled differentiated state rather than maintenance of pluripotency and self-renewal, strongly suggesting spontaneous differentiation of Trim28 KD cells back to their parental cell type. We also observed that action of TRIM28 in reprogramming is accompanied by differential enrichment of proteins involved in cell cycle, adhesion and stemness. Collectively, these results suggest that regulation of epigenetic modifications coordinated by TRIM28 plays a crucial role in reprogramming process.