Abstract
Direct conversion of one somatic cell type into another represents a promising approach to obtain patient-specific cells for numerous applications. Here, we describe a method allowing the transdifferentiation of human postnatal fibroblasts into functional Schwann cells via a transient progenitor stage. The conversion process is solely based on chemical treatment and does not require the overexpression of ectopic genes. The resulting induced Schwann cells (iSCs) can be characterized by expression of Schwann cell-specific proteins and neuro-supportive and myelination capacity in vitro. This strategy allows to obtain mature Schwann cells from human fibroblasts under chemically defined conditions without the introduction of ectopic genes.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Roche Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
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Thoma, E.C. (2018). Chemical Conversion of Human Fibroblasts into Functional Schwann Cells. In: Monje, P., Kim, H. (eds) Schwann Cells. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1739. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7649-2_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7649-2_8
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
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Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7649-2
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