Access

News and Views

Nature Genetics 41, 1164–1166 (1 November 2009) | doi:10.1038/ng1109-1164

DNA methylation is a guardian of stem cell self-renewal and multipotency

Laurraine-Marcelle Gereige & Hanna K A Mikkola

Uncovering the molecular mechanisms controlling stem cell fate will help in the understanding of the regulation of blood cell formation and may eventually lead to the development of methods for generating stem cell–derived tissues for therapeutic applications. On page 1207 of this issue, Frank Rosenbauer and colleagues reveal a direct role for Dnmt1, a maintenance DNA methyltransferase, in controlling the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells during hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.