6533b827fe1ef96bd1286467

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The art of forging neurons: direct reprogramming of somatic cells into induced neuronal cells

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Abstract Cellular reprogramming has shed new light on the plasticity of terminally differentiated cells and unearthed novel strategies for cell-based therapies to treat neurological disor­ders. With accumulating knowledge of the programs underlying the genesis of the dis­tinct neural cell types, particularly the iden­tification of crucial transcription factors and microRNAs, reprogramming of somatic cells of different origins into induced neuronal cells or neural stem cells has been success­fully achieved. Starting with the general con­cept of reprogramming, we discuss three dif­ferent paradigms: (1) direct conversion of central nervous system (CNS) foreign cells such as skin fibroblasts into induced neuro­nal cells or neural stem cells; (2) transdiffer­entiation of CNS resident cells such as astro­cytes and brain pericytes into induced neuro­nal cells; (3) reprogramming of one neuronal subtype into another. The latter has already been successfully achieved in vivo during ear­ly brain development, providing a strong im­pulse to attempt direct reprogramming in si­tu for future brain repair.