Pioneer factors — key regulators of chromatin and gene expression

Pioneer factors are a group of transcription factors with important roles in gene regulation during development. Their unique ability to bind to compacted chromatin, promoting its remodelling for gene expression, sets them apart from other regulatory proteins and makes them essential players in cellular differentiation, fate determination and reprogramming. Here, we have tasked five experts with discussing our current understanding of pioneer factors and their functions to showcase why exploring these proteins offers unique insights into gene regulation and cellular identity. Five leading researchers provide their perspectives on our current understanding of pioneer factors and their important gene regulatory roles in cell differentiation, cell fate determination and reprogramming.