Open AccessAsymmetric Cell Division of Fibroblasts is An Early Deterministic Step to Generate Elite Cells during Cell Reprogramming
Author(s) -
Song Yang,
Soto Jennifer,
Wang Pingping,
An Qin,
Zhang Xuexiang,
Hong SoonGweon,
Lee Luke P.,
Fan Guoping,
Yang Li,
Li Song
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202003516
Subject(s) - reprogramming , cell division , cytokinesis , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , cell , cell cycle , fibroblast , genetics , cell culture
Cell reprogramming is considered a stochastic process, and it is not clear which cells are prone to be reprogrammed and whether a deterministic step exists. Here, asymmetric cell division (ACD) at the early stage of induced neuronal (iN) reprogramming is shown to play a deterministic role in generating elite cells for reprogramming. Within one day, fibroblasts underwent ACD, with one daughter cell being converted into an iN precursor and the other one remaining as a fibroblast. Inhibition of ACD significantly inhibited iN conversion. Moreover, the daughter cells showed asymmetric DNA segregation and histone marks during cytokinesis, and the cells inheriting newly replicated DNA strands during ACD became iN precursors. These results unravel a deterministic step at the early phase of cell reprogramming and demonstrate a novel role of ACD in cell phenotype change. This work also supports a novel hypothesis that daughter cells with newly replicated DNA strands are elite cells for reprogramming, which remains to be tested in various reprogramming processes.