Reprogramming of human fibroblasts to pluripotency with lineage specifiers

Nuria Montserrat, Emmanuel Nivet, Ignacio Sancho-Martinez, Tomoaki Hishida, Sachin Kumar, Laia Miquel, Carme Cortina, Yuriko Hishida, Yun Xia, Concepcion Rodriguez Esteban, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

129 Scopus citations

Abstract

Since the initial discovery that OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC overexpression sufficed for the induction of pluripotency in somatic cells, methodologies replacing the original factors have enhanced our understanding of the reprogramming process. However, unlike in mouse, OCT4 has not been replaced successfully during reprogramming of human cells. Here we report on a strategy to accomplish this replacement. Through a combination of transcriptome and bioinformatic analysis we have identified factors previously characterized as being lineage specifiers that are able to replace OCT4 and SOX2 in the reprogramming of human fibroblasts. Our results show that it is possible to replace OCT4 and SOX2 simultaneously with alternative lineage specifiers in the reprogramming of human cells. At a broader level, they also support a model in which counteracting lineage specification networks underlies the induction of pluripotency.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)341-350
Number of pages10
JournalCell Stem Cell
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 5 2013
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

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