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Abstract
Reprogramming of adult differentiated cells to a more pluripotent state has been achieved
by various means, including somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and, more recently,
by over expression of specific transcription factors to generate the so-called induced
pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Since telomeres play an important role in the maintenance
of chromosomal stability associated with continuous cell division, a key question
for the quality of the resulting reprogrammed cells was to address whether nuclear
reprogramming involves a full rejuvenation of telomeres. Recent work from our group
and others demonstrate that telomeres are indeed rejuvenated during nuclear reprogramming.
These findings also revealed that the structure of telomeric chromatin is dynamic
and controlled by epigenetic programmes, which are reversed by reprogramming.
2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.