2012 Volume 77 Issue 2 Pages 251-259
Stem cells are multipotent and have the potential to play an important role in the treatment of many diseases. However, limited sources of stem cells restrict their clinical application. To solve this problem, a simple in vitro epigenetic reprogramming technique to differentiate skin fibroblasts into multipotent cells has been established in our center. In the present study, human skin fibroblasts were induced into multipotent stem cells in vitro by epigenetic reprogramming. The differentiation potential of the induced multipotent stem (iMS) cells in vitro and in vivo was also explored. After transient reprogramming, stem cell markers, including Oct-3/4, Nanog, Sox-2, SSEA-4 and C-myc, were activated in the reprogrammed cells. When these cells were treated with β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) and all-trans retinoic acid (RA), they were differentiated into neural cells in vitro. These reprogrammed cells were multipotent as demonstrated by their abilitiy to differentiate and form teratomas. Neural cells were found in the teratomas. The results indicated that the iMS established in our laboratory are multipotent and can grow into neural tissues. iMS may be effective in regenerative medicine in order to treat tissue damage, genetic disorders, and neuronal degenerative diseases.