Induced pluripotent stem cells

摘要

Described herein is a major breakthrough in nuclear reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Fusion of the powerful transcription activation domain (TAD) of MyoD to the Oct4 protein makes iPSCs generation faster, more efficient, purer, safer and feeder-free. Also, disclosed herein is the first report of the use of a TAD fused to a transcription factor as a method for making iPSCs. By combining transcription factors and TADs, this approach to nuclear reprogramming can have a range of applications from inducing pluriopotency to inducing transdifferentiation without transitioning through iPSCs.

主权项

1. A method to increase efficiency of reprogramming cells to form induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) comprising a) introducing i) a nucleic acid encoding a fusion protein comprising a transactivation domain from MyoD fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of Oct4 operably linked to a promoter, and ii) at least one nucleic acid encoding Sox2, Klf4, and optionally c-Myc operably linked to a promoter into a somatic cell, wherein the somatic cell expresses the nucleic acids of i) and ii); and
b) culturing said somatic cell for a time to reprogram into a pluripotent stein cell, wherein the fusion protein increases the efficiency of reprogramming the somatic cell into a iPSC.