Direct induction of neural cells from somatic cells

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are a promising source for cell therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the preparation of NSCs from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is time-consuming, and the preparation of autologous NSCs within the subacute phase after SCI is not possible at present. Previously, we succeeded in inducing self-renewing and tri-potent NSCs, which we designated induced NSCs (iNSCs), directly from mouse and human fibroblasts using Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc without clonal isolation of iPSCs. These iNSCs, which are generated without complete reprogramming into iPSCs, differentiate into neural lineage cells more rapidly than differentiation of similar cells from iPSCs. In addition to providing an overview of the generation and properties of iNSCs, we describe the application of new reprogramming technologies in neuroscience and disease modeling, in the derivation of induced neuronal cells.