Liver stem cells provide valuable tool for highly efficient cellular reprogramming to induced pluripotent cells

Over-expression of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc can reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. This methods holds promises for regenerative medicine. One limiting factor is the highly efficient reprogramming of somatic cells using non-viral approaches. Such attempts are still very inefficient. The identification of cellular sources which can be easily reprogrammed could help to solve this problem. There is compelling evidence that reprogramming efficiency is both a stochastic and hierarchical event. Previous studies have shown that stem cells (e.g. hematopoietic or neuronal stem cells) can be reprogramme…