Transcription Factors Involved in DNA Demethylation During Human Cellular Development

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in the regulation of mammalian gene expression, with each type of cell developing a specific methylation profile during its differentiation. The enzymatic mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation are well understood; however, little is known about how cell-type-specific DNA methylation profiles are developed. Recently, a small subgroup of transcription factors (TFs) have been shown to promote DNA demethylation at their binding sites (e.g., RUNX1 reported by our group). Bisulphite converted DNA from the 50 samples were hybridised to the Illumina Infinium 850K Human Methylation Beadchip