Generation of oligodendroglial cells by direct lineage conversion

TLDR: The generation of induced OPCs (iOPCs) by direct lineage conversion was reported, which gave rise to mature oligodendrocytes that could ensheath multiple host axons when co-cultured with primary dorsal root ganglion cells and formed myelin after transplantation into shiverer mice.

Abstract: Transplantation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) is a promising potential therapeutic strategy for diseases affecting myelin However, the derivation of engraftable OPCs from human pluripotent stem cells has proven difficult and primary OPCs are not readily available Here we report the generation of induced OPCs (iOPCs) by direct lineage conversion Forced expression of the three transcription factors Sox10, Olig2 and Zfp536 was sufficient to reprogram mouse and rat fibroblasts into iOPCs with morphologies and gene expression signatures resembling primary OPCs More importantly, iOPCs gave rise to mature oligodendrocytes that could ensheath multiple host axons when co-cultured with primary dorsal root ganglion cells and formed myelin after transplantation into shiverer mice We propose direct lineage reprogramming as a viable alternative approach for the generation of OPCs for use in disease modeling and regenerative medicine