Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Application of RNAi and Heat-shock-induced Transcription Factor Expression to Reprogram Germ Cells to Neurons in C. elegans
Published on: January 1, 2018
Transcriptome reprogramming during developmental switching in Physarum polycephalum involves extensive remodeling of
Gernot Glöckner1, Wolfgang Marwan2
1Institute for Biochemistry I, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Straße 52, 50931, Köln, Germany. gernot.gloeckner@uni-koeln.de.
Abstract:
Activation of a phytochrome photoreceptor triggers a program of Physarum polycephalum plasmodial cell differentiation through which a mitotic multinucleate protoplasmic mass synchronously develops into haploid spores formed by meiosis and rearrangement of cellular components. We have performed a transcriptome-wide RNAseq study of cellular reprogramming and developmental switching. RNAseq analysis revealed extensive remodeling of intracellular signaling and regulation in switching the expression of sets of genes encoding transcription factors, kinases, phosphatases, signal transduction proteins, RNA-binding proteins, ubiquitin ligases, regulators of the mitotic and meiotic cell cycle etc. in conjunction with the regulation of genes encoding metabolic enzymes and cytoskeletal proteins. About 15% of the differentially expressed genes shared similarity with members of the evolutionary conserved set of core developmental genes of social amoebae. Differential expression of genes encoding regulators that act at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational level indicates the establishment of a new state of cellular function and reveals evolutionary deeply conserved molecular changes involved in cellular reprogramming and differentiation in a prototypical eukaryote.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Chromatin Modification in 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...
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming

