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Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Cell Type-specific Gene Expression Profiling in the Mouse Liver
Published on: September 17, 2019
HBO1 functions as an epigenetic barrier to hepatocyte plasticity and reprogramming during liver injury
Wei-Chien Yuan1, Andrew S Earl2, Sai Ma3
1Stem Cell Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan; Cancer and Immunology Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Hepatocytes can reprogram into biliary epithelial cells (BECs) during liver injury, but the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we define the chromatin dynamics of this process using single-cell ATAC-seq and identify YAP/TEAD activation as a key driver of chromatin remodeling. An in vivo CRISPR screen highlights the histone acetyltransferase HBO1 as a critical barrier to reprogramming. HBO1 is recruited by YAP to target loci, where it promotes histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac) and engages the chromatin reader zinc-finger MYND-type containing 8 (ZMYND8) to suppress YAP/TEAD-driven transcription. Loss of HBO1 accelerates chromatin remodeling, enhances YAP binding, and enables a more complete hepatocyte-to-BEC transition. Our findings position HBO1 as an epigenetic brake that restrains YAP-mediated reprogramming, suggesting that targeting HBO1 may enhance hepatocyte plasticity for liver regeneration.
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