Efficient induction of neurons from perinatal tail-tip fibroblasts. Figure 2 from article: Direct conversion of fibroblasts to functional neurons by defined factors, by Thomas Vierbuchen, Austin Ostermeier, Zhiping P. Pang, Yuko Kokubu, Thomas C. Südhof & Marius Wernig. Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature, advance online publication, 27 january 2010 (doi:10.1038/nature08797)
Today, Nature publishes an interesting article by Vierbuchen et al. where authors demonstrate that only three transcription factors (Ascl1, Brn2 (also called Pou3f2) and Myt1l) suffice to efficiently convert mouse embryonic and postnatal fibroblasts into functional neurons in vitro. The resulting neuronal cells appear to be functional in vitro and are called induced Neurons, or iN cells, and, most importantly, have been obtained without involving the use of ES cells or iPS cells, therefore avoiding the pluripotent stem cell step and, hence, avoiding the potential risk of tumorigenicity associated with the use of stem cell-derived neuronal cells. Further experiments would be required to validate this innovative approach in vivo and its potential relevance for human cell therapies in regenerative medicine.
Tags: induced neuronal cells, stem cells