title: Direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes with chemical cocktails.
abstract: The direct conversion, or transdifferentiation, of non-cardiac cells into cardiomyocytes by forced expression of transcription factors and microRNAs provides promising approaches for cardiac regeneration. However, genetic manipulations raise safety concerns and are thus not desirable in most clinical applications. The discovery of full chemically induced pluripotent stem cells suggest the possibility of replacing transcription factors with chemical cocktails. Here, we report the generation of automatically beating cardiomyocyte-like cells from mouse fibroblasts using only chemical cocktails. These chemical-induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (CiCMs) express cardiomyocyte-specific markers, exhibit sarcomeric organization, and possess typical cardiac calcium flux and electrophysiological features. Genetic lineage tracing confirms the fibroblast origin of these CiCMs. Further studies show the generation of CiCMs passes through a cardiac progenitor stage instead of a pluripotent stage. Bypassing the use of viral-derived factors, this proof of concept study lays a foundation for in vivo cardiac transdifferentiation with pharmacological agents and possibly safer treatment of heart failure.
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Laboratory of Receptor-based Bio-medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors: Yanbin
authors: Y
authors: Fu
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Laboratory of Receptor-based Bio-medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors: Chenwen
authors: C
authors: Huang
authors: CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, the National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors: Xinxiu
authors: X
authors: Xu
authors: CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, the National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors: Haifeng
authors: H
authors: Gu
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Laboratory of Receptor-based Bio-medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors: Youqiong
authors: Y
authors: Ye
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Laboratory of Receptor-based Bio-medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors: Cizhong
authors: C
authors: Jiang
authors: Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors: Zilong
authors: Z
authors: Qiu
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Laboratory of Receptor-based Bio-medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.|CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, the National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Xie
mesh_terms: D000185:Actinin / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001565:Benzoates / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012176:Retinoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000187:drug effects; D014191:Tranylcypromine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019210:Troponin I / Q000378:metabolism; D020107:Troponin T / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001565:Benzoates; C473711:Chir 99021; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011725:Pyridines; D011743:Pyrimidines; C550621:RepSox; D012176:Retinoids; D019210:Troponin I; D020107:Troponin T; D000185:Actinin; D005576:Colforsin; D014191:Tranylcypromine; C038864:4-(2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-1-propenyl)benzoic acid; D002118:Calcium