组蛋白修饰在染色质复制过程中的作用

真核生物中的DNA复制,不但要保证DNA编码的基因组信息高保真复制,也要保证染色质结构所蕴含的表观遗传组稳定传递,这个过程对于维持基因组的完整性和稳定性至关重要。时至今日,人们对DNA复制的机制已经有了深入的认识,但是对染色质复制以及表观遗传信息传递的了解才刚刚开始。组蛋白是染色质结构中最主要的蛋白组成部分,其上面丰富的转录后修饰是表观遗传调控的核心方式之一。从最近几年组蛋白的修饰研究进展入手,主要综述在DNA复制过程中组蛋白修饰如何参与染色质复制的调控。     

转录因子对干细胞高效定向分化为β细胞的作用

移植干细胞分化的胰岛β细胞能逆转糖尿病鼠的高血糖症,为细胞疗法临床应用于糖尿病治疗提供依据。但如何诱导干细胞高效、定向分化为具有分泌功能的胰岛β细胞,仍是当今世界难题。就影响干细胞分化为胰岛β细胞的关键转录因子PDX-1、Ngn3、NeuroD1、MafA的作用及机制进行综述,为干细胞高效定向分化提供新的思路。     

The landscape of pioneer factor activity reveals the mechanisms of chromatin reprogramming and genome activation

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Polycomb group proteins: remembering how to catch chromatin during replication

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain the expression state of PcG‐responsive genes during development of multicellular organisms. Recent observations suggest that “the H3K27me3 modification” acts to maintain Polycomb repressive complex (PRC) 2, the enzyme that creates this modification, on replicating chromatin. This could in turn promote propagation of H3K27me3 on newly replicated daughter chromatin, and promote recruitment of PRC1. Other work suggests that PRC1‐class complexes can be maintained on replicating chromatin, at least in vitro, independently of H3K27me3. Thus, histone modifications and PcG proteins themselves may both be maintained through replication.     

Gene dynamics and nuclear architecture during differentiation

Abstract Recent advances have demonstrated that placing genes in a specific nuclear context plays an important role in the regulation of coordinated gene expression, thus adding an additional level of complexity to the mechanisms of gene regulation. Differentiation processes are characterized by dynamic changes in gene activation and silencing. These alterations are often accompanied by gene relocations in relation to other genomic regions or to nuclear compartments. Unraveling of mechanisms and dynamics of chromatin positioning will thus expand our knowledge about cellular differentiation.