title: Reprogramming of postnatal astroglia of the mouse neocortex into functional, synapse-forming neurons.
abstract: Direct conversion of glia into neurons by cellular reprogramming represents a novel approach toward a cell-based therapy of neurodegenerative processes. Here we describe a protocol that allows for the direct and efficient in vitro reprogramming of mouse astroglia from the early postnatal neocortex by forced expression of single neurogenic fate determinants. By selective retrovirus-mediated expression of neurogenin-2 (Neurog2) on the one hand, or the mouse homologue of Distal-less Dlx2 or the mammalian homologue of achaete-schute-1 (Mash1) on the other, it is possible to drive postnatal astroglia in culture toward the genesis of fully functional, synapse-forming, glutamatergic, i.e., excitatory, and GABAergic, i.e., inhibitory, neurons, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Genomics, Institute of Physiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heinrich
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Götz
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berninger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D012190:Retroviridae; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C499317:Ascl1 protein, mouse; C088334:Distal-less homeobox proteins; C102938:Neurog2 protein, mouse