MINIYO and transcriptional elongation: Lifting the roadblock to differentiation

• DOI: 10.4161/trns.3.1.19303
• Publication Date: 2012-02-09T21:10:44Z
• Authors: Maite Sanmartín; Michael Sauer; Alfonso Muñoz; Enrique Rojo
• Keywords: Elongation; Transcription; Transcriptional activity

Inhibiting transcriptional elongation is a recurrent mechanism to keep cells in an undifferentiated, pluripotent state metazoans. It remains, however, unclear whether lifting the barrier acts as switch initiate differentiation those organisms. Recent results suggest that such for turning on does exist plants. We argue targeting phase of transcription may be solution adopted widely evolution allow global changes needed cellular differentiation.