Kaiso Gene Knockout Promotes Somatic Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming of somatic cells is associated with overcoming the established epigenetic barrier. Key events in this process are changes in the DNA methylation landscape and histone modifications. Studying the factors affecting epigenetic plasticity will allow not only to reveal the principles underlying cell reprogramming but also to find possible ways to influence this process. Kaiso transcription factor is one of the protein interpreters of methylated DNA. By binding to methylated DNA, Kaiso attracts corepressor complexes affecting chromatin structure. In this work, we showed that the Kaiso gene knockout contributes to more efficient somatic reprogramming by affecting both cell proliferation and DNA methylation. The proposed mechanisms for the increase in the efficiency of somatic reprogramming associated with the Kaiso gene knockout is a decrease in the methylation level of the Oct4 promoter region in mouse embryonic fibroblasts before reprogramming.