An indirect approach to generating specific human cell types

http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v10/n1/full/nmeth.2325.html?WT.ec_id=NMETH-201301

Two groups derived neural and mesodermal cells from human fibroblasts by going through a partially reprogrammed intermediate.

Subject terms:

• Stem Cells
• Cell Biology
• Genetics

The ability to easily convert accessible human cells into disease-relevant cell types through cellular reprogramming has opened new doors for basic research and regenerative medicine¹. Takahashi and Yamanaka ushered in contemporary reprogramming when they demonstrated that a combination of four transcription factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc) could drive skin-derived fibroblasts to a pluripotent state that could be further differentiated into the desired cell type² (Fig. 1a). But robust differentiation into specific lineages remains a stumbling block. Low efficiencies and week- to month-long protocols often give rise to mixed cultures requiring a second purification step. Purity matters, as remnant pluripotent cells can give rise to tumors after transplantation. Moreover, the yielded cells are typically immature (as in cardiomyocyte, hematopoietic or neuronal differentiation).