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HEREDITAS ›› 2012, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (8): 985-992.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1005.2012.00985

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Cell fate switch:Lineage reprogramming

SUN Hong-Yan1,2, WANG Feng1, CAO Wen-Guang2   

  1. 1. Center of Animal Embryo Engineering and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China 2. Institute of Animal Science and Verterinary Medicine, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2012-02-22 Revised:2012-04-08 Online:2012-08-20 Published:2012-08-25

Abstract: It has been demonstrated that mature cells could switch their fate by the technologies for reprogramming, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer and induced pluripotent stem cells. Recently, this conclusion was further confirmed. It was found that mature differentiated cells could be directly converted into other somatic cells or progenitors with some defined transcription factors. This technology is called lineage reprogramming, which provides an attractive novel alternative to regenerative medicine and animal biotechnology. It is a more convenient and more effective system with less ethical issues. Moreover, lineage reprogramming technology could also facilitate researches on regulation of gene expression. This review highlights the procedures of reprogramming, its characteristics, and significant promise in biomedical applications.

Key words: somatic cell, lineage reprogramming, transcription factors, fate switch