Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2012 Jul 15;17(2):205-23. doi: 10.1089/ars.2011.4375. Epub 2012 Jan 11.
Derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo, embryonic stem cells are prototype pluripotent stem (PS) cells that have the ability of self-renewal and differentiation into almost all cell types. Exploration of the mechanisms governing this pluripotency is important for understanding reprogramming mechanisms and stem cell behavior of PS cells and can lead to enhancing reprogramming efficiency and other applications.
Induced pluripotent stem cells are recently discovered PS cells that can be derived from somatic cells by overexpression of pluripotency-related transcription factors. Recent studies have shown that transcription factors and their epigenetic regulation play important roles in the generating, maintaining, and differentiating these PS cells. Recent advances in sequencing technologies allow detailed analysis of target epigenomes and microRNAs (miRs), and have revealed unique epigenetic marks and miRs for PS cells.
Epigenetic modifications of genes include histone modifications, DNA methylation, and chromatin remodeling. Working closely with epigenetic modifiers, miRs play an important role in inducing and maintaining pluripotency.
The dynamic changes in epigenetic marks during reprogramming and their role in cell fate changes are being uncovered. This review focuses on these new advances in the epigenetics of PS cells.
胚胎干细胞来源于着床前胚胎的内细胞团，是具有自我更新和分化为几乎所有细胞类型能力的原型多能（PS）干细胞。探索调控这种多能性的机制对于理解 PS 细胞的重编程机制和干细胞行为很重要，并能提高重编程效率和其他应用。
诱导多能干细胞是最近发现的 PS 细胞，可通过过表达多能性相关转录因子从体细胞中获得。最近的研究表明，转录因子及其表观遗传调控在产生、维持和分化这些 PS 细胞中起着重要作用。测序技术的最新进展允许对靶标表观基因组和 microRNAs（miRs）进行详细分析，并且已经揭示了 PS 细胞的独特表观遗传标记和 miRs。
基因的表观遗传修饰包括组蛋白修饰、DNA 甲基化和染色质重塑。miRs 与表观遗传修饰物密切合作，在诱导和维持多能性方面发挥着重要作用。
在重编程过程中，表观遗传标记的动态变化及其在细胞命运变化中的作用正在被揭示。本综述重点介绍了 PS 细胞表观遗传学的这些新进展。
