Direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts to a cardiac fate using reprogramming proteins

devoid of cellular and nuclear material while extracellular matrix remained intact Native and decellularized arteries were digested using Proteinase K and DNA content was measured. For the proteomic analysis the umbilical arteries were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and homogenized. The protein content was measured using Bradford assay and analyzed by 2D Electrophoresis. Protein spots were excised manually and tryptic digestion and Peptide Mass Fingerprinting was performed. Decellularized patches (3x3 mm) of umbilical artery were seeded with 10,000 MSCs-RFP+ per patch, incubated for 2 weeks at 37o C and 5% CO2 and no cytotoxic effect was observed. Conclusion: Both decellularization protocols effectively removed the cellular material while the ECM remained intact and supported MSCs seeding.Future studies are warranted to elucidate the specific effects of altered structuree function relationships on the overall fate of decellularized umbilical arteries.