Figure 4.

Consequences of DNA Methylation Heterogeneity for Cell Fate Decisions

(A) Heterogeneous methylation at regulatory elements (e.g., enhancers and promoters) may affect the binding of transcription factors (TFs) and methyl-binding proteins (MBPs, e.g., MeCP2 and MBD1), that can in turn activate, or repress, gene expression. Black and white circles represent methylated and unmethylated sites, respectively.

(B) The result is a pool of diverse cells at the exit from pluripotency in which heterogeneous patterns of methylation (black shading) underlies heterogeneous transcriptional programmes (colored shapes). This cell diversity may predispose cells toward different lineage choices upon receipt of differentiation stimuli.