Lecture

Cell Plasticity: Transcription Factors and Chromatin State

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In course

BIO-447: Stem cells and organoids

This course introduces the fundamentals of stem cell biology, with a particular focus on the role of stem cells during development, tissue homeostasis/regeneration and disease, and the generation of organoids from stem cells ...

Description

This lecture explores the concept of cell plasticity, focusing on the role of transcription factors and chromatin state in determining cell identity and fate. It covers key topics such as the hierarchy of stem cells, Waddington's landscape, and the molecular mechanisms behind cell fate determination. The discussion delves into the epigenetic properties of stem cells, the importance of master regulators in cell identity, and the organization of transcription factors in regulatory networks. Additionally, it examines how transcription factors mediate cellular reprogramming and the impact of chromatin organization on gene expression. The lecture concludes with insights into increasing cell plasticity through modifiers of chromatin state and pioneer transcription factors.

Instructors (4)

Matthias Lütolf

Matthias Lutolf is Full Professor at EPFL’s Institute of Bioengineering, with a cross appointment in the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering. Lutolf was trained as a Materials Engineer at ETH Zurich where he also carried out his PhD studies (with Jeffrey Hubbell) that were awarded with an ETH medal. He continued his research training as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Stem Cell Biology (with Helen Blau) at Stanford University. He has served as the Director of the Institute of Bioengineering from 2014 to 2018. Lutolf is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of stem cell bioengineering and tissue engineering. His research program uniquely combines stem cell biology with engineering principles and quantitative thinking. His team, composed of engineers, chemists, physicists, cell and developmental biologists, strives to develop technologies that have true biological and medicinal function and applicability. Lutolf’s work has led to more than 110 peer-reviewed scientific publications, many of which published in highly reputed journals, more than 25 patents, and the commercialization of several products. Current research in the Lutolf lab is focused on the bioengineering of miniature tissues, termed organoids, that are generated from self-organizing stem cells.

Freddy Radtke

Freddy Radtke obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Zürich in 1994. In 1995, he started his postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Michel Aguet at Genentech, Inc. (San Francisco, USA). In 1997, he returned to Switzerland with Michel Aguet and finished his postdoctoral fellowship at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in Lausanne. From 1999‑2005, he was a group leader and Associate Member at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Freddy Radtke then joined ISREC in January 2006 as a senior scientist and in July 2006, he was appointed Associate Professor at the EPFL School of Life Sciences

David Michael Suter

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Ekaterina Lyublinskaya, Yuliia Romaniuk, Joanna Agnieszka Dembska, Solomon Nshemereirwe Past EPFL PhD Students Onur Tidin, Aleksandra Mandic, Daniel Strebinger, Andrea Brigitta Alber, Mahé Raccaud, Torgil Elias Friman, Shoujie Sun, Silja Michelle Placzek, Romane Mizeret, Benjamin Martin, Sim Sakong, Stella Katharina Krämer Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Damien Lionel Nicolas, Isabelle Chareyron, Christopher Tadhg James Wall, Kolly Dominique Courses Immunology BI

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biological engineering

Biomedical engineering: Tissue engineering

Related concepts (31)

Adult stem cell

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells (from Greek σωματικóς, meaning of the body), they can be found in juvenile, adult animals, and humans, unlike embryonic stem cells. Scientific interest in adult stem cells is centered around two main characteristics.

Transdifferentiation

Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, is the process in which one mature somatic cell is transformed into another mature somatic cell without undergoing an intermediate pluripotent state or progenitor cell type. It is a type of metaplasia, which includes all cell fate switches, including the interconversion of stem cells. Current uses of transdifferentiation include disease modeling and drug discovery and in the future may include gene therapy and regenerative medicine.

Induced pluripotent stem cell

Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from a somatic cell. The iPSC technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi in Kyoto, Japan, who together showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes (named Myc, Oct3/4, Sox2 and Klf4), collectively known as Yamanaka factors, encoding transcription factors could convert somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells.

Embryonic stem cell

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells. Isolating the inner cell mass (embryoblast) using immunosurgery results in destruction of the blastocyst, a process which raises ethical issues, including whether or not embryos at the pre-implantation stage have the same moral considerations as embryos in the post-implantation stage of development.

Reprogramming

In biology, reprogramming refers to erasure and remodeling of epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, during mammalian development or in cell culture. Such control is also often associated with alternative covalent modifications of histones. Reprogrammings that are both large scale (10% to 100% of epigenetic marks) and rapid (hours to a few days) occur at three life stages of mammals. Almost 100% of epigenetic marks are reprogrammed in two short periods early in development after fertilization of an ovum by a sperm.

Related lectures (32)

Cell Plasticity: Transcription Factors & Chromatin State

Delves into pioneer transcription factors, chromatin organization, and cell fate transitions, showcasing examples of reprogramming and discussing the potential applications in regenerative medicine.

Genomics: Transcription Factors and Reprogramming

Explores transcription factors in reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells and the correlation between Hox gene expression and morphological boundaries.

Stem Cell Biology: Essentials and Applications

Covers the essentials of stem cell biology, including major types, properties, and applications, as well as challenges in research.

Stem Cell Applications: Models, Therapy, and Cloning

Explores the applications of embryonic stem cells in biomedical research, disease modeling, and potential therapeutic interventions, including the types of stem cells and the challenges they face.

Stem Cells: Types, Regulation, and Applications