Fig. 2

Epigenetic landscape of cell reprogramming and development. Cells undergo extensive epigenetic modifications from pluripotency to a terminally differentiated state. Cell fates have been identified as flexible and reversible, suggesting that terminally differentiated cells, such as cancer cells, are feasible to be reprogrammed back into a pluripotent stage via re-activation of epigenetic barriers. The induced pluripotent stem cells can further differentiate into benign cells with distinct lineages. Unlike indirect cancer cell reprogramming, direct cancer cell reprogramming allows cells to bypass the pluripotent stage so that they can be directly converted into other types of cells by transcription factors, small molecules, microRNAs or exosome