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Updated: Feb 14, 2026
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Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
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The epigenetic basis of cellular plasticity
Azadeh Paksa1, Jayaraj Rajagopal2
1Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|February 8, 2018
Summary
Cellular plasticity, regulated by epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modifications, is vital for tissue repair after injury. Understanding these processes is key to unlocking regenerative potential.
Area of Science:
- Tissue biology
- Regenerative medicine
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Cellular plasticity is fundamental to tissue biology, enabling steady-state differentiation and regeneration.
- Following injury, cellular plasticity is crucial for survival, involving epigenetic landscape alterations.
- Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, regulate cell fate transitions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of cellular plasticity in regeneration after injury.
- To contextualize epigenetic regulation of cell fate in tissue repair.
- To highlight the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in allowing restricted cell fate transitions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cellular plasticity, epigenetics, and regeneration.
- Discussion of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications.
- Examination of cell fate reprogramming in the context of embryonic development and induced pluripotent stem cells.
Main Results:
- Epigenetic mechanisms are critical for enabling cell fate transitions during regeneration.
- Alterations in the epigenetic landscape facilitate tissue repair following injury.
- Cellular plasticity, driven by epigenetics, is essential for restoring tissue integrity and function.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic regulation of cell fate is a central mechanism in both development and regeneration.
- Understanding epigenetic plasticity is key to advancing regenerative medicine.
- Further research into epigenetic mechanisms can unlock new therapeutic strategies for tissue repair.
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