Direct conversion of C. elegans germ cells into specific neuron types

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	Direct conversion of C. elegans germ cells into specific neuron types
Creators Name:	Tursun, B., Patel, T., Kratsios, P. and Hobert, O.
Abstract:	The ability of transcription factors to directly reprogram the identity of cell types is usually restricted and is defined by cellular context. Through the ectopic expression of single Caenorhabditis elegans transcription factors, we found that the identity of mitotic germ cells can be directly converted into that of specific neuron types: glutamatergic, cholinergic, or GABAergic. This reprogramming event requires the removal of the histone chaperone LIN-53 (RbAp46/48 in humans), a component of several histone remodeling and modifying complexes, and this removal can be mimicked by chemical inhibition of histone deacetylases. Our findings illustrate the ability of germ cells to be directly converted into individual, terminally differentiated neuron types and demonstrate that a specific chromatin factor provides a barrier for cellular reprogramming.
Keywords:	Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, Cell Differentiation, Chromatin, Gene Expression, Germ Cells, Glutamic Acid, Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors, Histone Deacetylases, Histones, Homeodomain Proteins, Mitosis, Motor Neurons, Muscle Cells, Neurogenesis, Neurons, Nuclear Proteins, RNA Interference, Repressor Proteins, Sensory Receptor Cells, Totipotent Stem Cells, Transcription Factors, Animals, Caenorhabditis elegans
Source:	Science
ISSN:	0036-8075
Publisher:	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Volume:	331
Number:	6015
Page Range:	304-308
Date:	21 January 2011
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199082
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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