The reprogramming of one differentiated cell type to another can be achieved by enforcing the expression of key transcription factors. To investigate whether adult proximal tubule cells can be transcriptionally reprogrammed to become nephron progenitors, Hendry et al. used a combinatorial screening approach to identify a pool of six genes that activated a network of nephron progenitor genes in the adult proximal tubule (HK2) cell line. HK2 cells transduced with these genes underwent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and showed a differential capacity to contribute to the nephron progenitor compartment of a developing kidney ex vivo.