Transdifferentiation articles within Nature

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Single-cell RNA sequencing and 3D imaging have revealed the cellular changes and structural reorganization that occur during the progression of human chronic liver disease and as the liver attempts to regenerate.

    • Christopher Gribben
    • , Vasileios Galanakis
    •  & Ludovic Vallier

  • Article |

    A screen in which combinatorial pairs of transcription factors are exogenously expressed in fibroblasts identifies different combinations that reprogram these cells into induced neuronal cells with diverse functional properties.

    • Rachel Tsunemoto
    • , Sohyon Lee
    •  & Kristin K. Baldwin

  • Letter |

    The transcriptome changes driving the conversion of fibroblasts to neurons at the single-cell level are reported, revealing that early neuronal reprogramming steps are homogenous, driven by the proneural pioneer factor Ascl1; the expression of myogenic genes then has a dampening effect on efficiency, which needs to be counteracted by the neuronal factors Myt1l and Brn2 for more efficient reprogramming.

    • Barbara Treutlein
    • , Qian Yi Lee
    •  & Stephen R. Quake

  • Letter |

    Inhibitory antibodies to two specific human and mouse Notch ligands, Jagged1 and Jagged2, are generated and shown to have beneficial effects in a goblet cell metaplasia asthma model; systemic Jagged1 inhibition transdifferentiates secretory cells into ciliated cells in the mouse, demonstrating that Jagged1 from ciliated cells normally holds back secretory cells to adopt the ciliated fate.

    • Daniel Lafkas
    • , Amy Shelton
    •  & Christian W. Siebel

  • Article |

    In the worm C. elegans, a previously unidentified pair of bilateral neurons in the male (termed MCMs) are shown to arise from differentiated glial cells upon sexual maturation; these neurons are essential for a male-specific form of associative learning which balances chemotactic responses with reproductive priorities.

    • Michele Sammut
    • , Steven J. Cook
    •  & Arantza Barrios

  • Letter |

    An investigation of the influence of age on the generation of insulin-producing cells after β-cell loss in mice reveals that, whereas α-cells can reprogram to produce insulin from puberty to adulthood, efficient reconstitution in the very young is through δ-cell reprogramming, leading to complete diabetes recovery.

    • Simona Chera
    • , Delphine Baronnier
    •  & Pedro L. Herrera

  • Letter |

    A cardiac injury study in zebrafish reveals the plasticity of heart cell lineages as shown by a Notch-dependent transdifferentiation of atrial to ventricular cardiomyocytes, regenerating a cell type that is damaged in human heart failure.

    • Ruilin Zhang
    • , Peidong Han
    •  & Neil C. Chi

  • News |

    Researchers have worked out how to reprogram cells from human skin into functioning nerve cells.

    • Ewen Callaway

  • News |

    Direct conversion of cell types could offer safer, simpler treatments than stem cells.

    • Ewen Callaway

  • News & Views |

    Most insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells are irreplaceably lost in type 1 diabetes. In a mouse model, pancreatic α-cells seem to sacrifice their identity to replenish the low stock of β-cells1. Two experts discuss what this means for understanding the basic cell biology involved and its relevance to treating diabetes.boxed-text

    • Kenneth S. Zaret
    •  & Morris F. White

  • Article |

    In the pancreas, insulin-producing β-cells are long-lived and generally replicate seldom. They can do so, however, after increased metabolic demand or after injury. Here, a new transgenic model is developed in which β-cells are nearly completely ablated in mice. If given insulin, these mice survive, and grow new β-cells. Lineage-tracing shows that these new β-cells come from α-cells, revealing a previously disregarded degree of pancreatic cell plasticity.

    • Fabrizio Thorel
    • , Virginie Népote
    •  & Pedro L. Herrera

  • News & Views |

    In a feat of biological wizardry, one type of differentiated cell has been directly converted into another, completely distinct type. Notably, the approach does not require a stem-cell intermediate stage.

    • Cory R. Nicholas
    •  & Arnold R. Kriegstein

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