Evidence that c-JUN stabilizes chromatin architecture of EpiSCs

c-JUN is a transcription factor and the founding member of AP1 family. Here we present evidence that c-JUN stabilizes chromatin architecture. We first show that c-JUN is expressed and occupies chromatin loci both open and closed in primed mEpiSCs, but not naive mESCs. Interestingly, naive open loci undergo closing during naive to primed transition independent of c-JUN, but ~2500 of them become occupied by c-JUN immediately. These loci then open more readily during the reverse primed to naive transition (PNT) in the presence of c-JUN N-terminal Kinase inhibitor or by ectopically expressed Esrrb and Klf4 as both bind to them. Finally, we show that these loci become more open in c-Jun-/- EpiSCs which undergo PNT more efficiently than wild type cells. These results suggest that c-Jun is activated during naive to primed transition to stabilize chromatin architecture. Gene expression profile of naïve-primed transition cells were generated by RNA-seq, in two replicates, using illumina nextseq 500