Changing identities: identification of genetic drivers of transdifferentiation
Final Report Abstract
Cellular transdifferentiation is a well-known phenomenon, that occurs naturally (e.g. during development and regeneration) and has been induced experimentally. The ability to experimentally exploit cellular plasticity to convert one cell type into another has undoubtedly tremendous therapeutic potential. Yet the mechanisms controlling transdifferentiation and the corresponding molecular drivers are mostly unknown. This project aimed to shed light on the underlying molecular mechanisms of transdifferentiation by performing a genome-wide CRISPR-based transcriptional activation screen for genes sufficient to induce transdifferentiation in fin blastema cells. Although, initial experiments were promising, more throughout testing revealed that the chosen experimental system is unreliable in activating gene expression in adult zebrafish. The proposed screen therefore could not be conducted.
