CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP(alpha))-induced transdifferentiation of pre-B cells into macrophages involves no overt retrodifferentiation.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011;
108:17016-21. [PMID:
21969581 DOI:
10.1073/pnas.1112169108]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Earlier work has shown that pre-B cells can be converted into macrophages by the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α at very high frequencies. Using this system, we performed a systematic analysis of whether during transdifferentiation the cells transiently reactivate progenitor-restricted genes or even retrodifferentiate. A transcriptome analysis of transdifferentiating cells showed that most genes are up- or down-regulated continuously, acquiring a macrophage phenotype within 5 d. In addition, we observed the transient reactivation of a subset of immature myeloid markers, as well as low levels of the progenitor markers Kit and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 and a few lineage-inappropriate genes. Importantly, however, we were unable to observe the reexpression of cell-surface marker combinations that characterize hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, including c-Kit and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3, even when CAAT/enhancer binding protein α was activated in pre-B cells under culture conditions that favor growth of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells or when the transcription factor was activated in a time-limited fashion. Together, our findings are consistent with the notion that the conversion from pre-B cells to macrophages is mostly direct and does not involve overt retrodifferentiation.
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