Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 11, 2026
10:09
Isolation and Cultivation of Neural Progenitors Followed by Chromatin-Immunoprecipitation of Histone 3 Lysine 79 Dimethylation Mark
Published on: January 26, 2018
7.9K
Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility during cell fate specification at the neural plate border
Eva Hamrud1, Jacob Leese1, Alexandre P Thiery1
1Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|November 14, 2025
Summary
This study reveals how cell fate decisions are made during development by analyzing changes in chromatin accessibility. Researchers identified specific regulatory elements and transcription factors, like Foxk2, that control cell specialization.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genomics
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Cellular differentiation involves dynamic gene expression and chromatin remodeling.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for deciphering developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate chromatin accessibility changes during chick neural plate border cell development.
- To identify cell-state-specific regulatory elements and gene networks.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) were integrated.
- A Nextflow pipeline ('single cell Advanced Chromatin Exploration') was developed for data analysis.
- Enhancer-centric gene regulatory networks were inferred.
Main Results:
- Neural plate border cells exhibit broadly open chromatin, indicating multipotency.
- Cell-type-specific chromatin signatures emerge during differentiation.
- Foxk2 was identified as a novel regulator of placode specification, with its target enhancers specifically open in placodal cells.
Conclusions:
- Chromatin accessibility dynamics play a key role in cell fate determination.
- Regulatory strategies for fate choice include differential enhancer accessibility and transcription factor-driven broad accessibility.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
2.1K
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...
2.1K
02:35Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression
24.6K
Chromatin is the massive complex of DNA and proteins packaged inside the nucleus. The complexity of chromatin folding and how it is packaged inside the nucleus greatly influences access to genetic information. Generally, the nucleus' periphery is considered transcriptionally repressive, while the cell's interior is considered a transcriptionally active area.
Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)
The 3-dimensional positioning of chromatin in the nucleus influences the...
Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)
The 3-dimensional positioning of chromatin in the nucleus influences the...
24.6K
01:51Determination
20.7K
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In...
20.7K
02:32Position-effect Variegation
7.0K
In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
7.0K
03:17Inheritance of Chromatin Structures
7.2K
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...
7.2K
01:24Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
2.1K
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for...
2.1K