Direct Generation of Human Neuronal Cells from Adult Astrocytes by Small Molecules

Autor: Longfei Gao, Wuqiang Guan, Min Wang, Huihan Wang, Jiali Yu, Qing Liu, Binlong Qiu, Yongchun Yu, Yifang Ping, Xiuwu Bian, Li Shen, Gang Pei
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Stem Cell Reports, Vol 8, Iss 3, Pp 538-547 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2213-6711
DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.01.014
Popis: Astrocytes, due to the proximity to neuronal lineage and capability to proliferate, are ideal starting cells to regenerate neurons. Human fetal astrocytes have been successfully converted into neuronal cells by small molecules, which offered a broader range of further applications than transcription factor-mediated neuronal reprogramming. Here we report that human adult astrocytes could also be converted into neuronal cells by a different set of small molecules. These induced cells exhibited typical neuronal morphologies, expressed neuronal markers, and displayed neuronal electrophysiological properties. Genome-wide RNA-sequencing analysis showed that the global gene expression profile of induced neuronal cells resembled that of human embryonic stem cell-differentiated neurons. When transplanted into post-natal mouse brains, these induced neuronal cells could survive and become electrophysiologically mature. Altogether, our study provides a strategy to directly generate transgene-free neuronal cells from human adult astrocytes by small molecules.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals