Chromatin controls the expression of genes and thus the developmental fate of cells. Misregulation at this level of gene control can result in cancer growth. Understanding mechanisms of epigenetic gene regulation will be valuable for new technologies like tissue engineering or stem cell reprogramming. The stability of gene expression patterns, defining different determined cellular states, is highly dependent on chromatin structure and function. Regulatory features invoked for example by particular histone modifications or nuclear architecture greatly influence the way genetic information is interpreted during developmental processes. Such an epigenetic constitution of the nucleus is heritable, providing the basis for mechanisms like the permanent inactivation of an X chromosome or genomic imprinting in mammalian cells. The recent identification of many components of epigenetic regulation has created an enormous excitement in the field. Not only because we foresee a better understanding of the basic mechanisms on how developmental decisions are maintained, but also because we might learn how aberrant cases, like the cancer cells, change their epigenetic hallmarks. It is also this type of epigenetic gene control that needs to be considered to better understand and approach more applied topics like nuclear cloning, stem cells and tissue engineering. This meeting will bring together scientists who have identified epigenetic constituents and studied their regulatory contributions at the molecular level, with scientists who study in complex organisms epigenetic programming of cellular fates during normal developmental and in the disease case. ? ? ?
