Reprogramming of Human Keratinocytes into Functional Cardiomyocytes

The study demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) derived from human keratinocytes could efficiently differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes. By exposing these iPS cells to specific factors over 20 days, researchers observed significant increases in cardiac markers such as Nkx2.5 and Gata4, with notable nuclear translocation. The differentiation process also involved modulation of β-adrenoceptors, and spontaneous contraction was observed as early as 5 days into induction. By 15 days, 60-90% of the cell population consisted of beating cardiomyocytes, which responded to adrenergic stimulation by increasing contraction rates. This indicated that keratinocyte-derived iPS cells could be a viable source for generating homogeneous populations of cardiomyocytes with specific cardiac properties.