High-efficiency somatic reprogramming induced by intact MII oocytes

Somatic nuclei can be reprogrammed into a pluripotent state by nuclear transfer, cell fusion and expression of transcription factors. However, these reprogramming processes are very inefficient, which has greatly hindered efforts to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we report a new reprogramming strategy that combines the advantages of all three reprogramming methodologies into one process. We injected nuclei from cumulus cells into intact MII oocytes. Following activation, 80% of the reconstructed embryos developed to the blastocyst stage, and tetraploid （4N） embryonic stem （ES） cell lines were generated at a rate of 30% per reconstructed oocyte. We also generated triploid （3N） ES cells after injection of somatic nuclei into activated oocytes. 4N and 3N ES cells expressed pluripotent markers and differentiated into cell types of three embryonic germ layers in vivo. Moreover, all ES cells generated histocompatible, differentiated cells after being engrafted in immunocompetent B6D2F1 mice, showing that ES cells derived from this reprogramming strategy might serve as a source of genetically tailored tissues for transplantation. Thus, we have established a simple and highly efficient reprogramming procedure that provides a system for investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in somatic reprogramming.

Generation of iPS cells using defined factors linked via the self-cleaving 2A sequences in a single open reading frame

Generation of induced pluripotent stem （iPS） cells from somatic cells has been achieved successfully by simultaneous viral transduction of defined reprogramming transcription factors （TFs）. However, the process requires multiple viral vectors for gene delivery. As a result, generated iPS cells harbor numerous viral integration sites in their genomes. This can increase the probability of gene mutagenesis and genomic instability, and present significant barriers to both research and clinical application studies of iPS cells. In this paper, we present a simple lentivirus reprogramming system in which defined factors are fused in-frame into a single open reading frame （ORF） via self-cleaving 2A sequences. A GFP marker is placed downstream of the transgene to enable tracking of transgene expression. We demonstrate that this polycistronic expression system efficiently generates iPS cells. The generated iPS cells have normal karyotypes and are similar to mouse embryonic stem cells in morphology and gene expression. Moreover, they can differentiate into cell types of the three embryonic germ layers in both in vitro and in vivo assays. Remarkably, most of these iPS cells only harbor a single copy of viral vector. This system provides a valuable tool for generation of iPS cells, and our data suggest that the balance of expression of transduced reprogramming TFs in each cell is essential for the reprogramming process. More importantly, when delivered by non-integrating gene-delivery systems, this re-engineered single ORF will facilitate efficient generation of human iPS cells free of genetic modifications.

Shared Gene Regulation during Human Somatic Cell Reprogramming

Human induced pluripotent stem （iPS） cells have the ability to differentiate into all somatic cells and to maintain unlimited self- renewal. Therefore, they have great potential in both basic research and clinical therapy for many diseases. To identify potentially universal mechanisms of human somatic cell reprogramming, we studied gene expression changes in three types of cells undergoing reprogramming. The set of 570 genes commonly regulated during induction of iPS cells includes known embryonic stem （ES） cell markers and pluripotency related genes. We also identified novel genes and biological categories which may be related to somatic cell reprogramming. For example, some of the down-regulated genes are predicted targets of the pluripotency microRNA cluster miR302/367, and the proteins from these putative target genes interact with the stem cell pluripotency factor POU5F1 according to our network analysis. Our results identified candidate gene sets to guide research on the mechanisms operating during somatic cell reprogramming.

Variations in mesenchymal-epithelial transition-related transcription factors during reprogramming of somatic cells from different germ layers into iPSCs

Introducing a combination of transcription factors such as Oct4,Sox2,Klf4 and c-Myc（OSKM）enables reprogramming which converts somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells（i PSCs）（Takahashi and Yamanaka,2006）.i PSCs play an important role in clinical and regenerative medicine because they can be utilized to model a specific disease or differentiate into functional cells for transplantation.Enhancing the efficiency of induction and improving the qualities of iPSCs are constant themes in this field.

Induced pluripotency and direct reprogramming:a new window for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Human embryonic stem cells(hESCs)are pluripotent cells that have the ability of unlimited self-renewal and can be differentiated into different cell lineages,includ-ing neural stem(NS)cells.Diverse regulatory signaling pathways of neural stem cells differentiation have been discovered,and this will be of great benefit to uncover the mechanisms of neuronal differentiation in vivo and in vitro.However,the limitations of hESCs resource along with the religious and ethical concerns impede the pro-gress of ESCs application.Therefore,the induced pluri-potent stem cells(iPSCs)via somatic cell reprogramming have opened up another new territory for regenerative medicine.iPSCs now can be derived from a number of lin-eages of cells,and are able to differentiate into certain cell types,including neurons.Patient-specifi c iPSCs are being used in human neurodegenerative disease modeling and drug screening.Furthermore,with the development of somatic direct reprogramming or lineage reprogramming technique,a more effective approach for regenerative medicine could become a complement for iPSCs.

RNA-binding proteins in pluripotency, differentiation, and reprogramming

Embryonic stem cell maintenance, differentiation, and somatic cell reprogramming require the interplay of multiple pluripotency factors, epigenetic remodelers, and extracellular signaling pathways. RNA-binding proteins （RBPs） are involved in a wide range of regulatory pathways, from RNA metabolism to epigenetic modifications. In recent years we have witnessed more and more studies on the discovery of new RBPs and the assessment of their functions in a variety of biological systems, including stem cells. We review the current studies on RBPs and focus on those that have functional implications in pluripotency, differentiation, and/or reprogramming in both the human and mouse systems.