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Kornberg's Contribution to Stem Cell Research

Overview of the Transcription process

Comparison of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Transcription

Eukaryotic Transcription

Effects of Amanitin

Stem Cell Research

Artificial Transcription Factors

References

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of a developing blastocyst and are capable of differentiating into all fetal and adult cell types15. Understanding the transcriptional mechanism involved in pluripotency and self-renewal in ES cells is key for understanding human development16.  Transcriptional factors important in cellular pluripotency and preimplantation development; Nanog, Sox2, and Oct4, are all important in the expression and regulation of many large groups of developmental homeodomain proteins15.  Identification of genes specific to these transcriptional activators will help us to learn how these promoters control cell identity.  Identification of additional ES cell transcriptional factors and chromatin regulators will provide researchers with the ability to connect various signaling pathways to regulatory circuitry maps16.  This may demonstrate how to stimulate ES cells into differentiated cells or the reprogramming of differentiated cells back to a pluripotential state.

 

            Kornberg’s research on transcription has allowed researchers to understand the mechanisms of transcription, as well as identification of numerous subunits and binding domains9.  With the knowledge of transcription attained from Kornberg coupled with the research done on stem cells, scientists may be able to manipulate the RNA polymerase and the ES transcriptional factors to produce a specific differentiated cell.  Kornberg’s work on transcription may help researchers understand the connection between transcriptional regulation and developing ES cells.  By understanding the transcription mechanism, scientists will be able to understand why ES cell differentiate and manipulate these cells for various cures and treatments15

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