Lineage reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells by CRISPR/Cas9-based transcriptional activators

摘要

Overexpression of exogenous lineage-determining factors succeeds in directly reprogramming fibroblasts to various cell types.Several studies have reported reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells(iCPCs).CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene activation is a potential approach for cellular reprogramming due to its high precision and multiplexing capacity.Here we show lineage reprogramming to iCPCs through a dead Cas9(dCas9)-based transcription activation system.Targeted and robust activation of endogenous cardiac factors,including GATA4,HAND2,MEF2 C and TBX5(G,H,M and T;GHMT),can reprogram human fibroblasts toward iCPCs.The iCPCs show potentials to differentiate into cardiomyocytes,smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in vitro.Addition of MEIS1 to GHMT induces cell cycle arrest in G2/M and facilitates cardiac reprogramming.Lineage reprogramming of human fibroblasts into iCPCs provides a promising cellular resource for disease modeling,drug discovery and individualized cardiac cell therapy.