title: The reprogrammed pancreatic progenitor-like intermediate state of hepatic cells is more susceptible to pancreatic beta cell differentiation.
abstract: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold great promise for cell therapy. However, their low efficiency of lineage-specific differentiation and tumorigenesis severely hinder clinical translation. We hypothesized that reprogramming of somatic cells into lineage-specific progenitor cells might allow for large-scale expansion, avoiding the tumorigenesis inherent with iPSCs and simultaneously facilitating lineage-specific differentiation. Here we aimed at reprogramming rat hepatic WB cells, using four Yamanaka factors, into pancreatic progenitor cells (PPCs) or intermediate (IM) cells that have characteristics of PPCs. IM clones were selected based on their specific morphology and alkaline phosphatase activity and stably passaged under defined culture conditions. IM cells did not have iPSC properties, could be stably expanded in large quantity, and expressed all 14 genes that are used to define the PPC developmental stage. Directed differentiation of IM and WB cells by Pdx1-Ngn3-MafA (PNM) into pancreatic beta-like cells revealed that the IM cells are more susceptible to directed beta cell differentiation because of their open chromatin configuration, as demonstrated by expression of key pancreatic beta cell genes, secretion of insulin in response to glucose stimulation, and easy access to exogenous PNM proteins at the rat insulin 1 and Pdx1 promoters. This notion that IM cells are superior to their parental cells is further supported by the epigenetic demonstration of accessibility of Pdx1 and insulin 1 promoters. In conclusion, we have developed a strategy to derive and expand PPC cells from hepatic WB cells using conventional cell reprogramming. This proof-of-principal study may offer a novel, safe and effective way to generate autologous pancreatic beta cells for cell therapy of diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Qiwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Shi-Wu
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Donelan
authors.forename: Lung-Ji
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shouguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Westley H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019175:DNA Methylation; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007328:Insulin; D015534:Trans-Activators; C084010:pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 protein
keywords: Cell reprogramming; Directed differentiation; Hepatic cells; Pancreatic progenitor cells; Type 1 diabetes