Faculty Profile

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the ability to divide indefinitely and to differentiate into any tissue under the correct set of chemical stimuli. Transcription factor-mediated reprogramming, initially demonstrated in mouse somatic cells, is the process by which the overexpression of a few transcription factors, usually, Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc and Klf4, converts differentiated cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Multiple molecular and functional studies have shown that iPS cells are highly similar to ES cells. Human somatic cells can also be reprogrammed, providing iPS cells both as tools for translational research such as for in vitro drug screens and for cell replacement therapy. Only about 5 percent of cells complete the reprogramming process, suggesting that multiple barriers have to be overcome for this dramatic change in cell fate to occur. Research in the lab focuses on understanding the epigenetic roadblocks to the reprogramming process to illuminate both the mechanisms that control pluripotency and the stability of the differentiated state.

•Tran, K.A., Jackson, S.A., Olufs, Z.P.G., Zaidan, N.Z., Leng, N., Kendziorski, C., Roy, S., and Sridharan, R. (2014) Collaborative rewiring of the pluripotency network by chromatin and signaling modulating pathways. Nature Communications, 6: 6188 doi:10.1038/ncomms7188
*Sridharan, R., Gonzales-Cope, M., Chronis, C.,Bonora, G., McKee, R., Patel,S.,Lopez,D., Mishra, N.,Pellegrini, M., Carey, M., Garcia, B.A. and Plath, K. (2013) Proteomic and genomic approaches reveal critical functions of H3K9 methylation and Heterochromatin Protein-1? in reprogramming to pluripotency. Nat Cell Bio 15(7): 872-82.