Cell type-specific requirements for iPSC reprogramming

The differentiated state of somatic cells provides barriers for the efficient derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). To address why some cell types reprogram more readily than others, we studied the effect of combined modulation of cellular signaling pathways. This revealed that inhibition of TGF together with activation of Wnt signaling in presence of ascorbic acid allows >80% of murine fibroblasts to acquire pluripotency after one week of reprogramming factor expression. In contrast, hepatic progenitors and blood progenitors predominantly required only TGF inhibition or canonical Wnt activation, respectively, to reprogram at efficiencies approaching 100%. Strikingly, blood progenitors reactivated endogenous pluripotency loci in a highly synchronous manner. We further demonstrate that expression of specific chromatin-modifying enzymes and reduced TGF/MAP kinase activity are intrinsic properties associated with the unique reprogramming response of these cells. Together, our observations define novel cell type-specific requirements for the rapid and synchronous reprogramming of somatic cells.

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Vidal SE, Amlani B, Chen T, Tsirigos A, Stadtfeld M