Stem cell reprogramming factor shown to control key metabolic change

The stem cell reprogramming factor KL4 has been shown to control a metabolic change that explains how cells turn back the developmental clock from adult to stem cell, and which could be harnessed to improve efficiency or limit genetic damage during induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba showed that KLF4 binds upstream of the Tcl1 target gene, which controls a metabolic change in energy generation during the acquisition of cellular pluripotency. The study was published in Stem Cell Reports.