Generation of neural stem cells from adult astrocytes by using a single reprogramming factor

Generating neural stem cells (NSCs) from astroglia as an abundant cell type in the mammalian brain has a promising outlook to be used in cell-replacement therapy for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and neuronal trauma. However, little is known about a single reprogramming factor that may lead to the generation of induced NSCs (iNSCs) from adult brain-derived astrocytes in the absence of extrinsic inductive signals. Here, we show that zinc-finger nuclear protein Zfp521 alone is sufficient for converting the adult mouse brain-derived astrocytes into iNSCs. In vitro, Zfp521-iNSCs demonstrated long-term self-renewal and multipotency and expressed related markers. Moreover, single-seeded iNSCs were able to produce NSC colonies. These results suggest that application of Zfp521 to generate iNSCs could be regarded as a new approach for conversion of resident astrocytes into iNSCs in cell therapy for in vivo treatment of neural injuries.