Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Reprogramming

Following new instructions

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 9, page 739 (2008)Cite this article

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

Wouldn't it be great to repair a damaged tissue in vivo by simply instructing other cell types to convert into those that are lost? According to a new study in Nature, this might be possible.

Using in situ hybridization, the authors identified nine candidate transcription factors that are expressed in mature β-cells and in their immediate precursors, and that cause developmental defects in β-cells when mutated. Delivery of a pool of these factors to exocrine cells of adult mice using adenoviral vectors that also expressed nuclear green fluorescent protein (GFP) resulted in an increased number of GFP-positive insulin-producing cells in the treated animals.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Zhou, Q. et al. In vivo reprogramming of adult pancreatic exocrine cells to β-cells. Nature 27 August 2008 (doi:10.1038/nature07314)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

FURTHER READING

  1. Slack, J. M. W. Metaplasia and transdifferentiation: from pure biology to the clinic. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 8, 369–378 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Egli, D., Birkhoff, G. & Eggan, K. Mediators of reprogramming: transcription factors and transitions through mitosis. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 9, 505–516 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Francesca Cesari
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cesari, F. Following new instructions. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 9, 739 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2505

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2505

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing