Chemical Cocktails Enable Hepatic Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts with a Single Transcription Factor.

ABSTRACT: Liver or hepatocytes transplantation is limited by the availability of donor organs. Functional hepatocytes independent of the donor sources may have wide applications in regenerative medicine and the drug industry. Recent studies have demonstrated that chemical cocktails may induce reprogramming of fibroblasts into a range of functional somatic cells. Here, we show that mouse fibroblasts can be transdifferentiated into the hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps) using only one transcription factor (TF) (Foxa1, Foxa2, or Foxa3) plus a chemical cocktail. These iHeps show typical epithelial morphology, express multiple hepatocyte-specific genes, and acquire hepatocyte functions. Genetic lineage tracing confirms the fibroblast origin of these iHeps. More interestingly, these iHeps are expandable in vit

SUBMITTER: Guo R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5550014 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature