Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from human nasal epithelial cells using a Sendai virus vector

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by introducing reprogramming factors into somatic cells is a promising method for stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a minimally invasive simple method to create iPSCs. In this study, we generated human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs)-derived iPSCs by gene transduction with Sendai virus (SeV) vectors. HNECs can be obtained from subjects in a noninvasive manner, without anesthesia or biopsy. In addition, SeV carries no risk of altering the host genome, which provides an additional level of safety during generation of human iPSCs. The multiplicity of SeV infection ranged from 3 to 4, and the reprogramming efficiency of HNECs was 0.08-0.10%. iPSCs derived from HNECs had global gene expression profiles and epigenetic states consistent with those of human embryonic stem cells. The ease with which HNECs can be obtained, together with their robust reprogramming characteristics, will provide opportunities to investigate disease pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms in vitro, using cells with particular genotypes.