The Wnt/β-catenin pathway determines the predisposition- and the efficiency of liver to pancreas reprogramming

Abstract

Transdifferentiation (TD) is the direct reprogramming of adult cells into cells of alternate fate and function. We were the first to show that liver cells can be transdifferentiated into beta-like, insulin producing cells, by ectopic expression of pancreatic transcription factors (pTFs). However, the efficiency of the process was consistently limited to <15% of the human liver cells treated in culture. The data in the current study suggest that liver to pancreas TD is restricted to a specific population of liver cells that is predisposed to undergo reprogramming.

We isolated TD-predisposed subpopulation of liver cells from >15 human donors using a lineage tracing system based on the wnt response element, part of the pericentral-specific promoter of Glutamine Synthetase (GLUL). The cells, that were propagated separately, consistently exhibited efficient fate switch and insulin production and secretion in >60% of the cells upon pTFs' expression. The rest of the cells, which originated from 85% of the culture, resisted TD. Both populations expressed the ectopic pTFs with similar efficiencies, followed by similar repression of hepatic genes.

Our data suggest that the TD-predisposed cells originate from a distinct population of liver cells that are enriched for wnt signaling, which is obligatory for efficient TD. In TD-resistant population, wnt induction is insufficient to induce TD. An additional step of chromatin opening enables TD of these cells.

Conclusion: Liver to pancreas TD occurs in defined predisposed cells. These cells' predisposition is maintained by WNT signaling that endows the cells with the plasticity needed to alter their transcriptional program and developmental fate, when triggered by ectopic pTFs. These results may have clinical implications by drastically increasing the efficacy of TD in future clinical uses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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