Pioneer Factor DNA

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine have identified a key process in the gene expression activity of pluripotent stem cells. They have identified proteins, called “pioneer proteins” that initiate changes in closed chromatin. Quoting directly, “The DNA-binding domain (DBD) of pioneer factors allows the protein to recognize its target site on a segment of nucleosomal DNA, where part of the DNA structure is occluded by proteins associated with chromosomes. The initial targeting of this DNA by pioneers in closed, silent chromatin allows the pioneer factor to initiate expression of silent genes in a given cell, enabling conversion of one cell type to another.”   MORE

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