Induced reprogrammiong of cell fate in C. elegans

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Recent studies show that ectopic expression of specific combinations of transcription factors can change identity of apparently differentiated cells. To reveal the underlying mechanisms of reprogramming we here take the worm C. elegans, in which the developmental fate of each cell appears to be determined strictly. In larval worms that have completed neurogenesis, forced expression of a mixture of transcription factors induced production of cells that ectopically express pan-neuronal markers. Many of them assumed neuron-like morphology and expressed a marker for differentiated sensory cells, suggesting they underwent complete reprogramming, while some assumed non-neuron-like morphology and co-expressed a maker of a non-neuronal cell type. Thus, we have successfully established an in vivo model for deciphering the cellular contexts necessary for cell reprogramming.