Transcription factors are the genome's conductors, directing genes to turn on or off. By activating specific combinations of them, scientists can reprogram cells to change their age or convert them into different cell types, the most powerful transformation in cell biology so far.
They're called transcription factors, and I like to think of them as sort of like orchestra conductors in the genome. They don't really do much themselves, but they can point at other genes effectively and tell them when to play, when to turn on, when to turn off. I think of epireprogramming, the ability to turn on these combinations of transcription factors and see changes in cell state, be that cell age or cell type, it's really the most powerful change in cell function we've ever been able to evoke in biology.
