Year 2

We have made significant progress during the previous granting period which has resulted in a publication in Genome Research detailing genomic DNA methylation changes in a variety of human embryonic stem cells and their derivatives. We have also been successful in identifying regions of the genome bound by of histone modifications and transcription factors in hESCs and derived endoderm. These targets have led to a greater understanding of how Nodal signaling and chromatin configuration maintain pluripotent state and subsequently trigger differentation. We expect 3 publications to result from this work during the next granting period.