Eukaryotic genomes must be folded and compacted to fit within the restricted volume of the
nucleus. This folding, and the subsequent organization of the genome, reflects both the
transcription profile of the cell and of the specific cell type. A dispersed, mesh-like chromatin
configuration, for example, is characteristic of a pluripotent stem cell. Here we show that the
acquisition of the pluripotent state during somatic cell reprogramming is coincident with the
disruption of compact heterochromatin domains. Using Electron Spectroscopic Imaging …