Generation of inner ear hair cells by direct lineage conversion of primary somatic cells

The mechanoreceptive sensory hair cells in the inner ear are selectively vulnerable to numerous genetic and environmental insults. In mammals, hair cells lack regenerative capacity, and their death leads to permanent hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. Their paucity and inaccessibility has limited the search for otoprotective and regenerative strategies. Growing hair cells in vitro would provide a route to overcome this experimental bottleneck. We report a combination of four transcription factors (Six1, Atoh1, Pou4f3, and Gfi1) that can convert mouse embryonic fibroblasts, adult tail-tip fibroblasts and postnatal supporting cells into induced hair cell-like cells (iHCs). iHCs exhibit hair cell-like morphology, transcriptomic and epigenetic profiles, electrophysiological properties, mechanosensory channel expression, and vulnerability to ototoxin in a high-content phenotypic screening system. Thus, direct reprogramming provides a platform to identify causes and treatments for hair cell loss, and may help identify future gene therapy approaches for restoring hearing.

Unique Transcription Factor Functions Regulate Epigenetic and Transcriptional Dynamics During Cardiac Reprogramming

SUMMARYDirect lineage conversion, whereby a somatic cell assumes a new cellular identity, can be driven by ectopic expression of combinations of lineage-enriched transcription factors. To determine the molecular mechanisms by which expression of Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GMT) induces direct reprogramming from a cardiac fibroblast toward an induced cardiomyocyte, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomic and epigenomic interrogation of the reprogramming process. Single cell RNA sequencing indicated that a reprogramming trajectory was acquired within 48 hours of GMT introduction, did not require cell division, and was limited mainly by successful expression of GMT. Evaluation of chromatin accessibility by ATAC-seq supported the expression dynamics and revealed widespread chromatin remodeling at early stages of the reprogramming process. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing of each factor alone or in combinations revealed that GMT bind DNA individually and in combination, and that ectopic expression of either Mef2c or Tbx5 is sufficient in some contexts to increase accessibility. We also find evidence for cooperative facilitation and refinement of each factor’s binding in a combinatorial setting. A random-forest classifier that integrated the observed gene expression dynamics with regions of dynamic chromatin accessibility suggested Tbx5 binding is a primary driver of gene expression changes and revealed additional transcription factor motifs co-segregating with reprogramming factor motifs, suggesting new factors that may be involved in the reprogramming process. These results begin to explain the mechanisms by which transcription factors normally expressed in multiple germ layers can function combinatorially to direct lineage conversion.