Volume 27, No 5, May 2017
ISSN: 1001-0602
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018
impact factor 17.848*
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)
Volume 27 Issue 5, May 2017: 598-599
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Cell fate conversion: a chromatin remodeling checkpoint revealed
Kenneth S Zaret1
1Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 9-131 SCTR, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104-5157, USA
Correspondence: Kenneth S Zaret, Tel: 1-215-573-5813(zaret@upenn.edu)
In a new paper in Cell Research, Ji et al. find that transcription factor-instigated opening of chromatin, during cell reprogramming, can be sensed by the Baf60b-containing chromatin remodeling complex, which then activates the ATM-p53 pathway, leading to cell death. These findings from reprogramming studies unveil what I term a “chromatin remodeling checkpoint” whereby extensive, inappropriate chromatin opening events lead to cell elimination, thus preventing cell fate conversion that might occur upon tissue damage; if unchecked, such conversion could lead to metaplasia and cancer.
10.1038/cr.2017.44
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