Question

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be generated in the laboratory by:

A. Transfecting adult somatic cells with expression constructs encoding the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-myc.

B. Transfecting adult somatic cells with siRNAs targeting Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc.

C. Transfecting human embryonic stem cells with siRNAs targeting Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc.

D. Growing adult somatic cells on feeder layers and adding multiple growth factors to the media

Answer 1

A. Transfecting adult somatic cells with expression constructs encoding the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc.

IPSC (Induced pluripotent stem cells) are derived by reprogramming the adult somatics cells to undifferentiated stem cells by inducing the expressions of 4 transcription factors called "yamanaka factors" namely Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc. Once reprogramming factors are added, cells begin to form colonies that resemble pluripotent stem cells, which can be differentiated on the basis of their morphology, conditions that select for growth, or by the expression of surface markers or reporter genes.