Pioneer Factors Compete for Epigenetic Factors in Switching Stem Cell Fates

Author

Yihao Yang

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

RU Laboratory

Fuchs Laboratory

Abstract

During development, progenitor cells can activate one cell fate while simultaneously silencing another, a process that is tightly regulated in adult tissues. However, this process is often derailed in diseases such as cancers, leading to uncontrolled growth and malignancy. At the crossroads of fate-switching, pioneer factors are a class of transcription factors equipped to bind cognate motifs in closed chromatin. Once they access the closed chromatin, pioneer factors can either act as transcriptional activators or repressors of cell fates by recruiting co-activators or co-repressors. Nevertheless, whether and how a single factor can simultaneously silence the old fate while activating the new cell fate remains largely unknown.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Rockefeller University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Recommended Citation

Yang, Yihao, "Pioneer Factors Compete for Epigenetic Factors in Switching Stem Cell Fates" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 781.
https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/781