Reprogramming human adipose tissue stem cells using epidermal keratinocyte extracts

Human adipose tissue stem cells (ATSCs) can differentiate into various types of cell in response to lineage-specific induction factors. Reprogramming cells using nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts derived from another type of somatic cell is an effective method of producing specific types of differentiated cell. In the present study, the ability of reprogrammed ATSCs to acquire epidermal keratinocyte properties following transient exposure to epidermal keratinocyte extracts was demonstrated. Reversibly permeabilized ATSCs were incubated for 1 h in nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts from epidermal keratinocytes, resealed with CaCl2 and cultured. ATSC reprogramming is demonstrated by nuclear uptake of epidermal keratinocyte extracts. After one week of exposure to extracts, ATSCs underwent changes in cell morphology, cell-specific genes were activated, and epidermal keratinocyte markers including K19 and K1/K10 (markers of stem cells and terminally differentiated keratinocytes, respectively) were expressed. This study indicates that the reprogramming of ATSCs using nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts from epidermal keratinocytes is a viable option for the production of specific types of cell.