Effects of Cellular Extract on Epigenetic Reprogramming

Functional reprogramming of a differentiated cell toward pluripotent cell may have long-term applications in numerous aspects, especially in regenerative medicine. Evidences accumulating from recent studies suggest that cellular extracts from stem cells or pluripotent cells can induce epigenetic reprogramming and facilitate pluripotency in otherwise highly differentiated cell types. Epigenetic reprogramming using cellular extracts has gained increasing attention and applied to recognize the functional factors, acquire the target cell types, and explain the mechanism of reprogramming. Now, more and more researches have proved that cellular extract treatment is an important strategy of cellular reprogramming. Thus, this review mainly focused on the progresses and potential mechanisms in epigenetic reprogramming using cellular extracts.