Abstract
Chromatin-based regulation defines the specific gene expression pattern, and then maintains the differential cell state. To understand the molecular mechanisms for chromatin-based regulation during transdifferentiation from a differentiated cell to a stem cell in the moss Physcomitrella patens, a good model system for stem cell study, a genome-wide approach by next generation sequencing technology has been employed. Histone modification is one type of chromatin-mediated regulation. ChIP-seq analyses have been conducted using specific antibodies for methylated- or acetylated histones. Comparison of the histone modifications between gametophores (differentiated cell sample) and protoplasts derived from the protonema-apical cells (stem cell sample) may produce useful information about chromatin-mediated regulation during stem cell formation. To determine the genome-wide gene expression patterns during transdifferentiation, a sequence-tag based Digital Gene Expression (DGE) profile method was established and utilized, and time-course DGE data during transdifferentiation was acquired.
