Final Report Summary - HISTONESTEM (Histone arginine methylation and citrullination in stem-cell maintenance and specification)
Using techniques such as chromatin / ribonucleic acid (RNA) immunoprecipitation, coupled with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or next-generation sequencing and stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) technology, coupled with immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, amongst others, we were able to identify new roles for histone citrullination in pluripotency, and in particular in cellular reprogramming. We were also able to identify novel interactors of the transcription factors Sox2, which might reveal novel mechanism of actions for this protein.
Increased understanding of the epigenetic regulation of stem cell fate is of uttermost importance for the development of cell therapies. Our results provide mechanistic insights and highlight novel players in the transcriptional regulation of pluripotency. Our results could be useful for the generation of pluripotent cells, for instance through reprogramming of somatic cells.