Short Film: 4DCellFate

Developing a global understanding of the PRC and NuRD complexes in stem cell differentiation and in disease

During development, embryonic stem cells make cell fate decisions that rely on the Nucleosome Remodelling and Deacetylatase (NuRD) Complex and the Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC). These complexes interact directly with histone proteins and affect nucleosome positioning and higher order chromatin organisation. This alters the accessibility of the underlying DNA sequences (genes) to transcription factors and other regulators. Interestingly, both NuRD and PRCs contain different combinations of paralogous subunits and are thus characterised by very significant functional diversity.