Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Generation Strategy and Epigenetic Mystery behind Reprogramming

Figure 2

Enhanced expression of the core reprogramming factors and TETs switches the cell fate towards nucleic reprogramming to generate iPSCs. The TET enzymes are recruited by core transcription factors and localized to the methylated promoter regions of the downstream genes involved in the reprogramming. Then the TET oxidizes the 5-mC into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) that serves as mediator of demethylation of the 5-mC, leading to demethylation of the promoter regions and expression of these genes and thereby initiation of the reprogramming.