Small molecules enable OCT4-mediated direct reprogramming into expandable human neural stem cells

Activation of Neural Cell Fate Programs Toward Direct Conversion of Adult Human Fibroblasts into Tri-Potent Neural Progenitors Using OCT-4

“…Importantly, hFib-NPC OCT4 -derived neurons functionally respond to both current injection and neurotransmitters, positioning hFib-NPC OCT4 as an appealing reprogramming tool for the generation of neuronal-based disease models in a manner that is not convoluted by the use of other factors associated with stages of neural development [23] or promiscuous chemical manipulation in vitro [24]. This reprogramming technology is sufficiently robust and enables the use of donor-derived adult fibroblasts as a starting material for cell fate conversion, positioning it as a candidate for the construction of relevant patient-specific disease models for use in drug screening.…”

Vitamin C Facilitates Demethylation of the Foxp3 Enhancer in a Tet-Dependent Manner

“…We thank Hyun-Ah Lee (Central Laboratory, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea) for cell sorting and Dr. Janghwan Kim (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Korea) for the lentivirus packaging plasmids (67).…”

Identification of Small Activating RNAs that Enhance Endogenous OCT4 Expression in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…Of Representative phase-contrast images (40 · and 100 · , left and middle panels) and Tra-1-60 immunofluorescence image (100 · , right panel) of OSKM colonies were taken on day 16. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/scd interest, recent studies have shown that ectopic overexpression of OCT4 alone with the use of lineage-specific culture conditions could directly convert fibroblasts to cardiomyocytes [36], blood progenitors [37], and neural stem cells [38]. With improvement in target selection and saRNA design, RNAa-mediated endogenous gene activation may offer an alternative approach to converting cell fate.…”