Biomaterial Database

Epigenetic regulation of stem cell differentiation. 2006

Hao Wu, and Yi Eve Sun

Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, 90095, USA.

Stem cells undergo extensive self-renewal and have the capacity to differentiate along multiple cell lineages. Progression from stem cells into differentiated progeny requires long-lasting changes in gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA-mediated regulatory events, are essential to controlling the heritable cellular memory of gene expression during development. Recent studies on cell fate specification of embryonic and adult stem cells/progenitors have highlighted a general and critical role for dynamic epigenetic regulation in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002454	Cell Differentiation	Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function that leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.	Differentiation, Cell,Cell Differentiations,Differentiations, Cell
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D012313	RNA	A polynucleotide consisting essentially of chains with a repeating backbone of phosphate and ribose units to which nitrogenous bases are attached. RNA is unique among biological macromolecules in that it can encode genetic information, serve as an abundant structural component of cells, and also possesses catalytic activity. (Rieger et al., Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular, 5th ed)	RNA, Non-Polyadenylated,Ribonucleic Acid,Gene Products, RNA,Non-Polyadenylated RNA,Acid, Ribonucleic,Non Polyadenylated RNA,RNA Gene Products,RNA, Non Polyadenylated
D013234	Stem Cells	Relatively undifferentiated cells that retain the ability to divide and proliferate throughout postnatal life to provide progenitor cells that can differentiate into specialized cells.	Colony-Forming Units,Mother Cells,Progenitor Cells,Colony-Forming Unit,Cell, Mother,Cell, Progenitor,Cell, Stem,Cells, Mother,Cells, Progenitor,Cells, Stem,Colony Forming Unit,Colony Forming Units,Mother Cell,Progenitor Cell,Stem Cell
D044127	Epigenesis, Genetic	A genetic process by which the adult organism is realized via mechanisms that lead to the restriction in the possible fates of cells, eventually leading to their differentiated state. Mechanisms involved cause heritable changes to cells without changes to DNA sequence such as DNA METHYLATION; HISTONE modification; DNA REPLICATION TIMING; NUCLEOSOME positioning; and heterochromatization which result in selective gene expression or repression.	Epigenetic Processes,Epigenetic Process,Epigenetics Processes,Genetic Epigenesis,Process, Epigenetic,Processes, Epigenetic,Processes, Epigenetics
D019175	DNA Methylation	Addition of methyl groups to DNA. DNA methyltransferases (DNA methylases) perform this reaction using S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE as the methyl group donor.	DNA Methylations,Methylation, DNA,Methylations, DNA