Instruction of epigenetic states from DNA sequences

Understanding how the same DNA sequence instructs an abundance of transcriptional programmes associated with different cell states cannot be complete without considering epigenetics. The ability of cells to commit and memorize specific epigenetic programmes is essential for the construction of complex tissues and organs during development. However, because transcriptional and epigenetic changes go hand in hand, determining the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in cell state acquisition remains a notoriously difficult task. During my undergraduate studies, I stumbled upon a landmark paper from the lab of Howard Cedar, which sparked my long-term interest in this problem.