Cell identity and plasticity uncoupled

Cells transit through a quiescent-like state to convert to neurons at high rates

While transcription factors (TFs) provide essential cues for directing and redirecting cell fate, TFs alone are insufficient to drive cells to adopt alternative fates. Rather, transcription factors rely on receptive cell states to induce novel identities. Cell state emerges from and is shaped by cellular history and the activity of diverse processes. Here, we define the cellular and molecular properties of a highly receptive state amenable to transcription factor-mediated direct conversion from fibroblasts to induced motor neurons. Using a well-defined model of direct conversion to a post-mitotic fate, we identify the highly proliferative, receptive state that transiently emerges during conversion. Through examining chromatin accessibility, histone marks, and nuclear features, we find that cells reprogram from a state characterized by global reductions in nuclear size and transcriptional activity. Supported by globally increased levels of H3K27me3, cells enter a quiescent-like state of reduced RNA metabolism and elevated expression of REST and p27, markers of quiescent neural stem cells. From this transient state, cells convert to neurons at high rates. Inhibition of Ezh2, the catalytic subunit of PRC2 that deposits H3K27me3, abolishes conversion. Our work offers a roadmap to identify global changes in cellular processes that define cells with different conversion potentials that may generalize to other cell-fate transitions.

Highlights

Proliferation drives cells to a compact nuclear state that is receptive to TF-mediated conversion.Increased receptivity to TFs corresponds to reduced nuclear volumes.Reprogrammable cells display global, genome-wide increases in H3K27me3.High levels of H3K27me3 support cells' transits through a state of altered RNA metabolism.Inhibition of Ezh2 increases nuclear size, reduces the expression of the quiescence marker p27.Acute inhibition of Ezh2 abolishes motor neuron conversion.

One Sentence Summary

Cells transit through a quiescent-like state characterized by global reductions in nuclear size and transcriptional activity to convert to neurons at high rates.

Going through changes - the role of autophagy during reprogramming and differentiation

Somatic cell reprogramming is a complex feature that allows differentiated cells to undergo fate changes into different cell types. This process, which is conserved between plants and animals, is often achieved via dedifferentiation into pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to generate all other types of cells and tissues of a given organism. Cellular reprogramming is thus a complex process that requires extensive modification at the epigenetic and transcriptional level, unlocking cellular programs that allow cells to acquire pluripotency. In addition to alterations in the gene expression profile, cellular reprogramming requires rearrangement of the proteome, organelles and metabolism, but these changes are comparatively less studied. In this context, autophagy, a cellular catabolic process that participates in the recycling of intracellular constituents, has the capacity to affect different aspects of cellular reprogramming, including the removal of protein signatures that might hamper reprogramming, mitophagy associated with metabolic reprogramming, and the supply of energy and metabolic building blocks to cells that undergo fate changes. In this Review, we discuss advances in our understanding of the role of autophagy during cellular reprogramming by drawing comparisons between plant and animal studies, as well as highlighting aspects of the topic that warrant further research.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate pancreatic cancer stem cell formation, stemness and chemoresistance: A brief overview

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers worldwide due to the resistances to conventional therapies and early metastasis. Recent research has shown that cancer stem cell populations modulate invasiveness, recurrence, and drug resistance in various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer stem cells (PaCSCs) are characterized by their high plasticity and self-renewal capacities that endow them with unique metabolic, metastatic, and chemoresistant properties. Understanding the exact molecular and signaling mechanisms that underlay malignant processes in PaCSCs is instrumental for developing novel therapeutic modalities that overcome the limitations of current therapeutic regimens. In this paper, we provide an updated review of the latest research in the field and summarize the current knowledge of PaCSCs characteristics, cellular metabolism, stemness, and drug resistance. We explore how the crosstalk between the TME and PaCSCs influences stemness. We also highlight some of the key signalling pathways involved in PaCSCs stemness and drug evasion. The aim of this review is to explore how PaCSCs develop, maintain their properties, and drive tumor relapse in PC. The last section explores some of the latest therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting PaCSCs.