Generation of cardiac progenitor cells by partial reprogramming

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670598
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cardiovascular surgery
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: LI Tao-Sheng 長崎大学, 原爆後障害医療研究所, 教授 (50379997)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HAMANO Kimikazu 山口大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 教授 (60263787)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 部分的な初期化 / 心筋幹細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fully reprogramming of adult tissue cells was well known to be able to establish iPS cells. It has also reported that cardiomyocytes could be generated from fibroblasts by direct reprogramming. We tried to generate cardiac stem/progenitor cells by “partially reprogramming”, a new concept of cell reprogramming. Human skin fibroblasts and cardiac tissue-derived cells were virally transfected with various combinations of transcription factors. Cardiac stem cells were identified by the expression of both common stem cells marker of c-kit and early cardiac specific markers (Gata-4 and Tbx5) in these fibroblasts within 2 weeks after the transfection with two defined factors. These generated cardiac stem cells could differentiate into VE-cadherin+ endothelial cells, SMA+ smooth muscle cells, and troponin-T+ cardiomyocytes, but we failed to induce into beating cardiomyocytes in vitro. Cardiac stem/progenitor cells could be generated from fibroblasts by two defined factors.

Free Research Field

幹細胞生物学