The epigenetics of adult (somatic) stem cells

While genetic studies have provided a wealth of information about health and disease, there is a growing awareness that individual characteristics are also determined by factors other than genetic sequences. These "epigenetic" changes broadly encompass the influence of the environment on g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCritical reviews in eukaryotic gene expression Vol. 18; no. 3; p. 189
Main Authors Eilertsen, Kenneth J, Floyd, Z, Gimble, Jeffrey M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 2008
Subjects
Animals
Cell Differentiation
Cell Lineage
Chromatin - metabolism
DNA Methylation
Embryo, Mammalian - metabolism
Embryo, Nonmammalian - metabolism
Epigenesis, Genetic
Hematopoietic Stem Cells - metabolism
Humans
Stem Cells - metabolism
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Summary:While genetic studies have provided a wealth of information about health and disease, there is a growing awareness that individual characteristics are also determined by factors other than genetic sequences. These "epigenetic" changes broadly encompass the influence of the environment on gene regulation and expression and in a more narrow sense, describe the mechanisms controlling DNA methylation, histone modification and genetic imprinting. In this review, we focus on the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate adult (somatic) stem cell differentiation, beginning with the metabolic pathways and factors regulating chromatin structure and DNA methylation and the molecular biological tools that are currently available to study these processes. The role of these epigenetic mechanisms in manipulating adult stem cells is followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing this emerging field.
ISSN:1045-4403
DOI:10.1615/CritRevEukarGeneExpr.v18.i3.10