A multiscale model of epigenetic heterogeneity-driven cell fate decision-making
Fig 9
Strategies to unlock pluripotent stem-like states in ageing and cancer.
Epigenetic regulation heterogeneity of differentiation genes (DERSs), but not that of pluripotency genes (PERSs), was predominantly in charge of the entry and exit decisions of the pluripotent stem-like states (blue). The application of the hybrid numerical method validated the likelihood of epigenetic heterogeneity-based strategies capable of unlocking and directing the transit from differentiation-refractory to differentiation-primed (red) epistates via kinetics changes in epigenetic factors. (Note: The epigenetic parameters regulating the entry into robust epi-states throughout the entire ER-GRN system revealed a regime of tristability in which pluripotent stem-like (blue) and differentiated (red) steady-states coexisted with a third indecisive (green) state). (R: Recruited; U: Unrecruited).