Abstract

My lab has a general interest in cell plasticity, how it is regulated, and its beneficial or maladaptive implications. I will present two recent projects. First, I will talk about how the transcriptional machinery regulates cellular plasticity. We have identified an actionable kinase, CDK8 , and we show that chemical inhibition of CDK8 reinforces enhancers and thereby cell identity, resulting in a loss of plasticity. We apply this to solve a long-standing problem that is the stabilisation of human pluripotent stem cells in their naïve state. Then, I will present our data in collaboration with the laboratory of Wolf Reik on the use of the Yamanka factors to trigger plasticity in vivo in a regulated manner. I will show that transient in vivo expression of the Yamanaka factors induces epigenetic rejuvenation of tissues.

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Meeting ID: 974 4659 5226 Password: 014403