Efficient reprogramming of human fibroblasts using RNA reprogramming with DAPT and iDOT1L under normoxia conditions

INTRODUCTION: Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are generated through the reprogramming of somatic cells expressing a defined set of transcription factors. The advent of autologous iPSCs has enabled the generation of patient-specific iPSC lines and is expected to contribute to the exploration of cures and causes of diseases, drug screening, and tailor-made regenerative medicines. Efficient control of hiPSC derivation is beneficial for industrial applications. However, the mechanisms underlying somatic cell reprogramming remain unknown, while reprogramming efficiency remains extremely low, especially in human cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: We previously reported that chemical inhibition of the NOTCH signaling pathway and DOT1L promoted the generation of hiPSCs from keratinocytes, but the mechanisms and effect of this double inhibition on other types of cells remain to be investigated. Here, we found that the NOTCH/DOT1L inhibition markedly increased iPSC colony generation from human fibroblast cells via mRNA reprogramming, and mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET)-related genes are significantly expressed in the early phase of the reprogramming. We successfully derived hiPSC lines using a single-cell sorting system under efficient reprogramming conditions. CONCLUSIONS: This user-friendly reprogramming approach paves the way for the development of hiPSC derivations in industrial applications of disease modeling and drug screening.