Browsing by Subject "Reprogramming"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    The role of Krüppel-like factors in the reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2009) Nandan, Mandayam O.; Yang, Vicent W.
    The potential for clinical application of pluripotent embryonic stem cells is immense but hampered by moral and ethical complications. Recent advances in the reprogramming of somatic cells by defined factors to a state that resemble embryonic stem cells have created tremendous excitement in the field. Four factors, Sox2, Oct4, Klf4 and c-Myc, when exogenously introduced into somatic cells, can lead to the formation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that have the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into tissues of all three germ layers. In this review, we focus on the role of Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) in regulating somatic cell reprogramming. KLFs are zinc finger-containing transcription factors with diverse biological functions. We first provide an overview of the KLF family of regulatory proteins, paying special attention to the established biological and biochemical functions of KLF4 and KLF5. We then review the role of KLFs in somatic cell reprogramming and delineate the putative mechanism by which KLFs participates the establishment and self-renewal of iPS cells. Further research is likely to provide additional insight into the mechanisms of somatic cell reprogramming and refinement of the technique with which to generate clinically relevant iPS cells.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    Transposon-based reprogramming to induced pluripotency
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2015) Kumar, Dharmendra; Talluri, Thirumala R.; Anand, Taruna; Kues, Wilfried A.
    Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells represent a recent innovation in the field of stem cells. Commonly, iPS cells are generated by viral transduction of core reprogramming genes, such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc, Nanog and Lin28. However, integrating viruses, like retro- and lentiviral vectors, may cause insertional mutagenesis and may increase the risk of tumor formation. Therefore, alternative methods which avoid these safety concerns are intensively investigated. Here, we review the current status of transposon-based methods to induce pluripotency. DNA transposons are non-viral elements, which can be effectively integrated into a genome by their corresponding transposase enzyme. The advantages of transposon-based gene transfer are their increased safety, their large cargo capacity, their relatively simple design, and the availability of hyper-active and mutated transposase enzymes. For example, integration-deficient, excisioncompetent transposase variants allow the complete removal of the reprogramming transposon after successful reprogramming to obtain transposon-free reprogrammed cells. Transposon-based reprogramming broaden the toolbox for iPS cell production and will advance the establishment of safe, non-viral methods.