ChIP sequencing for identifying the occupancy of H3K27me3 mark on human embryonic stem cells during their cardiac differentiation

Human Embryonic Stem (hES) cells are among the promising new avenues as a promising model to study the human development in vitro which otherwise is not possible. Epigenetics is emerging as a major role player in cell fate decisions thus expanding the room to unlock the mechanisms involved. Histone methyltransferases occupy a crucial space in transcription machinery that delivermethyl mark/s leading to gene repression or activation. Trimethylation of H3K27 hasbeen studied extensively in the context of transcriptional regulation during cardiac differentiation however the mechanisms underlying its specific and timely control during cardia specific gene regulation remains to be uncovered. The present study was thus undertaken with an aim to understand the occupancy of H3K27me3 mark onto the cardiac specific genes during differentiation of human embryonic stem cell lines KIND1 (in-house derived, Kumar et al, 2008) which would be followed by further studies attempting to uncover the mechanistic details involving H3K27me3 methyltransferase EZH2. Taken together our study would aid in understanding the in vitro developmentof cardiac lineage which may further be employed to improve the differentiation strategies and use forpre-clinical studies.