Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
10:28
Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
6.8K
LEC2 unlocks totipotency by unlocking chromatin
1Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Jagiellonska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland.
Trends in Plant Science
|December 4, 2025
Summary
Plants can regenerate using somatic embryogenesis (SE), where somatic cells form embryos. Peng et al. found LEAFY COTYLEDON2 (LEC2) is key, reprogramming cells via chromatin remodeling and epigenetic pathways.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Plants possess remarkable regenerative abilities, notably somatic embryogenesis (SE), the process of forming embryos from somatic cells.
- Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing SE is crucial for plant science and biotechnology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key regulators controlling somatic embryogenesis in plants.
- To elucidate the pathways through which these regulators reprogram somatic cells for totipotency.
Main Methods:
- The study focused on the role of LEAFY COTYLEDON2 (LEC2) in regulating SE.
- Investigated chromatin remodeling and the activation of totipotency regulators.
- Examined the involvement of epigenetic and hormonal signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- LEAFY COTYLEDON2 (LEC2) was identified as a central regulator of somatic embryogenesis.
- LEC2 facilitates SE by remodeling chromatin structure.
- LEC2 activates downstream totipotency regulators via epigenetic and hormonal mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- LEC2 plays a pivotal role in initiating and controlling plant somatic embryogenesis.
- Epigenetic modifications and hormonal signals orchestrated by LEC2 enable somatic cells to revert to a totipotent state.
- This research provides fundamental insights into plant regeneration and developmental plasticity.
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
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
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
2.6K
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012...
2.6K
02:33Combinatorial Gene Control
9.5K
Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
9.5K
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
02:05Duplication of Chromatin Structure
7.2K
The process of chromosome duplication during cell division requires genome-wide disruption and re-assembly of chromatin. The chromatin structure must be accurately inherited, reassembled, and maintained in the daughter cells to ensure lineage propagation.
The basic unit of the chromatin is the nucleosome, consisting of DNA wrapped around octameric histone proteins and short stretches of linker DNA separating individual nucleosomes. The histone proteins within the nucleosome have their...
The basic unit of the chromatin is the nucleosome, consisting of DNA wrapped around octameric histone proteins and short stretches of linker DNA separating individual nucleosomes. The histone proteins within the nucleosome have their...
7.2K