Reprogramming of fibroblasts to neural stem cells by a chemical cocktail

Abstract

Chemically induced cell fate conversion, including reprogramming to pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming to somatic cells, has been proved to be an alternative strategy with many advantages, in comparison with conventional transcription factors- or microRNAs-enabled cell reprogramming. Many functional and desirable cells have been generated via the chemically induced reprogramming. Neural stem cells (NSCs) hold great potential in basic research and clinical application. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for converting mouse fibroblasts into NSCs by a cocktail of chemical compounds.