This study was partially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82070638 and 81770621) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20180281).

This work was approved by the Laboratory Animal Management and Use Committee at Jiangsu University (UJS-IACUC-AP--20190305010). The experiments were performed in strict accordance with the standards established by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International). There were no experiments involving humans, so this work did not need approval from the human research ethics committee. Refer to the Table of Materials for details about reagents.
1. Construction of a concentrated lentivirus packaging system for transcription factors
<ol>
	<li>Production of the concentrated virus (Figure 1A, B)
	<ol>
		<li>Plate 1.5 &#215; 106 HEK-293T cells into a 60 mm dish and culture these cells with normal medium (see Table 1) at 37 &#176;C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2. 
		NOTE: If the virus needs to be packaged in batches, a 100 mm cell culture dish can be used (for details, see Table 2).</li>
		<li>After 24 h, ensure that the HEK-293T cells have reached 80-90% confluence on the day of transduction, and replace the medium with 3.5 mL of DMEM (150 &#181;L of DMEM per 1 cm2). Leave the cells at 37 &#176;C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 for 2 h. 
		NOTE: The replacement medium must be serum-free, so that the cells can be &#34;starved&#34; for better plasmid transfection.</li>
		<li>Prepare the mixture of plasmids (mix A) containing 3 &#181;g of the target plasmids of Mitf, Sox10, Pax3, Sox2, Sox9, or Snai2; 1 &#181;g of the packaging plasmid PMD2.G, and 2 &#181;g of the packaging plasmid PSPAX2. Make up the volume of mix A to 150 &#181;L with serum-free DMEM. Prepare the mix of the transfection reagent (mix B) by adding 12 &#181;L of the transfection reagent (the volume is twice the total mass of all the plasmids), and make up the volume of mix B to 150 &#181;L with serum-free DMEM. 
		NOTE: When preparing the mixes, it is important to add liquid slowly to avoid air bubbles.</li>
		<li>Combine mix A and mix B after allowing them to stand for 5 min at room temperature. Incubate the mixture at room temperature for 20-30 min to form the transfection complex.</li>
		<li>Take the HEK-293T cells out of the incubator, replace the medium with DMEM + 2% FBS, add the mixture from step 1.1.4 dropwise, and mix the liquid gently.</li>
		<li>After 8 h, change the medium with 3.5 mL of normal medium. After changing the medium, collect the virus supernatant every 24 h and 48 h.</li>
		<li>Mix the virus supernatants collected at two different time points. Centrifuge at 200 &#215; g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C. Pass the supernatant through 0.45 &#181;m filters and collect it in a 50 mL sterile conical tube. 
		NOTE: The virus collected at 24 h can be stored at 4 &#176;C and mixed with the virus collected at 48 h.</li>
		<li>Concentrate the virus supernatant by centrifuging at 6000 &#215; g at 4 &#176;C overnight (~16 h). Ensure that the virus pellet is visible at the bottom of the conical tube after centrifuging.</li>
		<li>Pour out the supernatant slowly. Dissolve the virus pellet in a volume of normal medium that is 1/100th of the volume of the virus supernatant. Using a P1000 micropipette, pipette up and down gently until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Divide the concentrated virus into microcentrifuge tubes as needed. Store at &#8722;80 &#176;C. 
		NOTE: The virus is concentrated 100x with this method. The concentrated virus (100x) can be stored for &#62;1 year at &#8722;80 &#176;C. Avoid repeated freezing and thawing of the virus.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Detection of concentrated virus titer (Figure 1C)
	<ol>
		<li>Plate 1 &#215; 105 HEK-293T cells into one well of a 6-well plate. Remember to add one well as a negative control. Culture these cells with normal medium at 37 &#176;C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2.</li>
		<li>Add 0.1 &#181;L or 0.2 &#181;L of fluorescent concentrated virus (100x) to each well after 24 h, and add 4 ng/&#181;L of the cationic polymeric transfection reagent to each well. About 8-12 h after infection, replace the medium with normal medium. 
		NOTE: To ensure the accuracy and efficiency of the fluorescence detection, the infection rate must be 10-30%. Adding 0.1 &#181;L or 0.2 &#181;L of the fluorescent concentrated virus can maintain the infection efficiency within this range. The concentrated virus titer can reach 1 &#215; 108 transducing units (TU)/mL at least.</li>
		<li>Approximately 48 h after infection, wash the dish with 1 mL of sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to remove dead cells.</li>
		<li>Trypsinize these cells using 250 &#181;L of 0.05% trypsin-EDTA per well in a 6-well plate for 1 min at room temperature. Centrifuge at 200 &#215; g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C and then remove the supernatant.</li>
		<li>Resuspend the cell pellet in 1 mL of PBS, add the suspension to a 5 mL polystyrene round-bottom tube, and detect the infection efficiency of the virus fluorescence (green fluorescent protein, GFP+) using flow cytometry.</li>
		<li>Calculate the concentrated virus titer using the following formula: 105 (cell volume) &#215; infection rate (GFP+%)/added virus volume (0.1 &#181;L or 0.2 &#181;L).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts to melanocytes (Figure 2A)
<ol>
	<li>Coat one well of a 6-well cell culture plate with 1 mL of 0.1% gelatin solution at room temperature for 15-30 min. Ensure that the well is completely covered with the 0.1% gelatin solution. Aspirate the 0.1% gelatin solution after coating. 
	NOTE: Prepare 0.1% gelatin solution (100 mL) as follows: 0.1 g of gelatin powder is dissolved in 100 mL of ultrapure water in an autoclaved glass bottle and then stored at 4 &#176;C for no more than 2 months.</li>
	<li>Plate 5 &#215; 104 MEFs into one well of a 6-well plate coated with 0.1% gelatin (as in step 2.1), and culture these cells with normal medium at 37 &#176;C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 overnight.</li>
	<li>After 24 h, confirm that the MEFs have reached 40-50% confluence. Replace the medium with normal medium.</li>
	<li>On Day 0, take out the concentrated virus from the freezer and melt the virus on ice. Calculate the volume of the virus to be added by using eq. (1). Add the concentrated virus for the six transcription factors, Mitf, Pax3, Sox10, Sox9, Sox2, and Snai2 (see Table of Materials) to each well according to the calculated volume, and then add 4 &#181;g/mL of the cationic polymeric transfection agent. 
	Cell number (5 &#215; 104) &#215; 30 (multiplicity of infection, MOI)/virus titer (1)</li>
	<li>On Day 1, 8-12 h after infection, remove the medium containing the virus and replace it with fresh normal medium while adding 0.5 &#181;g/mL puromycin to screen stable infected cell lines.</li>
	<li>On Day 2, 48 h after infection, replace the supernatant medium gradually with the reprogramming medium. First, change 1/4th of the total medium volume, and add 3 &#181;M CHIR99021.</li>
	<li>From Day 3 to Day 7, depending on the condition of the cells, change the medium by replacing with a higher proportion of reprogramming medium (see Table 1) gradually, and switch to complete reprogramming medium within 5 days. 
	NOTE: During this period, puromycin and CHIR99021 must be used every day. Many dead cells will appear on the first and second day of changing the reprogramming medium. This is normal as the cells gradually adapt to the transformation. Therefore, the medium needs to be changed gradually to ensure the healthy proliferation of the cells.</li>
	<li>To passage the cells, add 500 &#181;L of 0.05% trypsin-EDTA to digest the cells for 3 min at room temperature. When ~60% of the cells have floated up, stop the digestion by adding normal medium 2x the volume of the digestive enzyme. Collect the cell suspension in a 15 mL sterile conical tube, centrifuge at 200 &#215; g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C, remove the supernatant, resuspend the cell pellet with the reprogramming medium, and plate the cells in a 60 mm sterile dish at a density of 3 &#215; 104/cm2. Culture these cells at 37 &#176;C in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator. 
	&#8203;NOTE: From Day 8 to Day 21, these cells are sub-cultured every 3-5 days and cultured in 60 mm sterile dishes to expand. They can be cultured to reach at least passage 5.</li>
</ol>
3. Optimization for direct reprogramming and identification
<ol>
	<li>Screening for the optimized transcription factors
	<ol>
		<li>Repeat steps 2.1-2.7, reducing one of the six transcription factors each time. Infect the MEFs with the virus with combinations of five transcription factors.</li>
		<li>Seven days after infection, extract the RNA of these cells16, and analyze the expression levels of their melanocytic genes using reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR)17 to screen for the transcription factors with the greatest impact on conversion to melanocytes by removing them one by one (Figure 3A).</li>
		<li>Use the top three transcription factors impacting the conversion to melanocytes to infect the MEFs. Repeat steps 2.1-2.7. 
		NOTE: Seven days after infection, the melanocytic genes should be detectable in these transformed cells (Figure 3B). Primer information for iMels characterization is included in Table 3.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Identification of induced melanocytes (iMels)
	<ol>
		<li>Use immunofluorescence staining18 to verify that the iMels express melanocytic proteins, including TYRP-1 and DCT (Figure 4A).</li>
		<li>Melanin-specific 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) staining (Figure 4B)
		<ol>
			<li>Prepare 4% paraformaldehyde (10 mL) as follows: dissolve 0.4 g of paraformaldehyde powder in 10 mL PBS. Place the solution in an oven at 56 &#176;C for 2 h to promote dissolution. 
			NOTE: The solution can be kept at 4 &#176;C for no more than one month.</li>
			<li>Culture the iMels in a 30 mm dish and wash the dish twice with pre-warmed PBS. Add 1 mL of 4% paraformaldehyde to fix the cells for 20 min, and wash the dish 3 times with PBS.</li>
			<li>Prepare 0.1% DOPA stain solution (10 mL) just before use by dissolving 0.01 g of L-DOPA powder in 10 mL of PBS. Place the solution in a water bath at 37 &#176;C for 30 min; shake it several times to promote dissolution.</li>
			<li>Add 1 mL of freshly prepared 0.1% DOPA staining solution. Incubate in an oven at 37 &#176;C for 2-5 h. If there are no brown-black particles, continue to incubate at 37 &#176;C for another 2 h but not for &#62;5 h. Check the samples every 30 min.</li>
			<li>Wash the dish 3 times with PBS for 1 min each time. Stain the nucleus with 1 mL of hematoxylin staining solution for 2 min.</li>
			<li>For long-term storage, dehydrate the samples using 95% ethanol for 3 min and then 100% ethanol for 5 min. Seal the dish with xylene and neutral balsam.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Melanin-specific Masson-Fontana staining (Figure 4B)
		<ol>
			<li>Plate iMels in a 30 mm dish and fix the cells with 4% paraformaldehyde for 20 min; wash the dish 3 times with PBS.</li>
			<li>Add 1 mL of solution A (ammonia silver solution) from the Masson-Fontana staining kit (see Table of Materials), place the dish in a dark box, and place the dark box in an oven at 56 &#176;C for 15-40 min. 
			NOTE: If brown-black particles are not visible after 15 min in the oven, return the samples to the 56 &#176;C oven to continue incubating but not for &#62;40 min. Some water can be added to the dark box to prevent drying up.</li>
			<li>Aspirate solution A and wash the dish 5-6 times with distilled water, 1-2 min each time.</li>
			<li>Add 1 mL solution B (hypo solution) from the Masson-Fontana staining kit, and leave the dish at room temperature for 3-5 min.</li>
			<li>Aspirate solution B and wash the dish with tap water 3 times, 1 min each time.</li>
			<li>Add 1 mL of solution C (neutral red dye) from the Masson-Fontana staining kit, and leave the dish at room temperature for 3-5 min.</li>
			<li>Aspirate solution C and wash the dish 3 times with distilled water, 1 min each time.</li>
			<li>Add 1 mL of 100% ethanol for rapid dehydration, and aspirate the ethanol after 3 min. 
			NOTE: Stained samples can be stored for a long time after sealing with xylene and neutral balsam.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

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Molecular Cell Biology. 17 (3), 183-193 (2016).</li><li>Yamanaka, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pluripotent+stem+cell-based+cell+therapy-promise+and+challenges.">Pluripotent stem cell-based cell therapy-promise and challenges.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 27 (4), 523-531 (2020).</li><li>Xu, J., Du, Y., Deng, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+lineage+reprogramming:+strategies,+mechanisms,+and+applications.">Direct lineage reprogramming: strategies, mechanisms, and applications.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 16 (2), 119-134 (2015).</li><li>Ieda, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+reprogramming+of+fibroblasts+into+functional+cardiomyocytes+by+defined+factors.">Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes by defined factors.</a> Cell. 142 (3), 375-386 (2010).</li><li>Gasc&#243;n, S., Masserdotti, G., Russo, G. L., G&#246;tz, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+neuronal+reprogramming:+achievements,+hurdles,+and+new+roads+to+success.">Direct neuronal reprogramming: achievements, hurdles, and new roads to success.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 21 (1), 18-34 (2017).</li><li>Atkinson, P. J., Kim, G. S., Cheng, A. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+cellular+reprogramming+and+inner+ear+regeneration.">Direct cellular reprogramming and inner ear regeneration.</a> Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 19 (2), 129-139 (2019).</li><li>Kurita, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+reprogramming+of+wound-resident+cells+generates+skin+epithelial+tissue.">In vivo reprogramming of wound-resident cells generates skin epithelial tissue.</a> Nature. 561 (7722), 243-247 (2018).</li><li>Yang, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+conversion+of+mouse+and+human+fibroblasts+to+functional+melanocytes+by+defined+factors.">Direct conversion of mouse and human fibroblasts to functional melanocytes by defined factors.</a> Nature Communications. 5, 5807 (2014).</li><li>Fehrenbach, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Loss+of+tumorigenic+potential+upon+transdifferentiation+from+keratinocytic+into+melanocytic+lineage.">Loss of tumorigenic potential upon transdifferentiation from keratinocytic into melanocytic lineage.</a> Scientific Reports. 6, 28891 (2016).</li><li>Majumdar, G., Vera, S., Elam, M. 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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

The quality of the virus is crucial for the success of direct reprogramming to melanocytes in this protocol. The method of packaging and concentrating viruses in this protocol is simple and easy to repeat and does not rely on any other auxiliary concentrated reagent. This protocol can be followed successfully in most laboratories. To ensure the quality of the concentrated virus, the following points need special attention. One is the cell status of HEK-293T. Although HEK-293T cells are immortalized cells, the cells used ...

Vitiligo is a skin disease that seriously affects the physical and mental health of the affected individuals. For various reasons, including metabolic abnormalities, oxidative stress, generation of inflammatory mediators, cell detachment, and autoimmune response, the functional melanocytes are lost, and the secretion of melanin is stopped, leading to the development of vitiligo1,2. This condition occurs widely and is particularly problematic on the face. The main treatment is the systemic use of corticosteroids and immunomodulators. Phototherapy can be used for systemic or local diseases, and there are surgical treatments, such as perforated skin transplantation and autologous melanocyte transplantation3,4,5. However, patients who use drug therapy and phototherapy are prone to relapse, and these treatments have poor long-term therapeutic effects. Surgical treatment is traumatic and only moderately effective2,6. Therefore, a new and effective therapeutic strategy is needed for vitiligo.
The reprogramming of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) reverses these cells from their terminal state to a pluripotent state, a process mediated by the transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc7. However, due to the possibility of tumorigenicity and the long production time, this technology has been met with skepticism when applied to clinical settings8. Direct reprogramming is a technology that makes one type of a terminal cell transform into another type of a terminal cell9. This process is achieved by suitable transcription factors. Various cells have already been directly reprogrammed successfully, including cardiomyocytes10, neurons11, and cochlear hair cells12. Some researchers have even reprogrammed skin tissue directly in situ, which can be used for wound repair13. The advantages of direct reprogramming include reduced wait times and costs, lower risk of cancer, fewer ethical problems, and a better understanding of the mechanism underlying cell fate determination9.
Although the direct reprogramming method is widely used, there is currently no definite method for the direct reprogramming of skin cells into melanocytes, especially because of the numerous transcription factors to be considered14,15. The transcription factors, Mitf, Sox10, and Pax3, have been used for direct reprogramming of skin cells into melanocytes14. In contrast, the combination of MITF, PAX3, SOX2, and SOX9 has also been used for direct reprogramming of skin cells into human melanocytes in another study15. In this protocol, despite the use of a different screening method, the same result was obtained with the combination of Mitf, Sox10, and Pax3 for direct reprogramming of skin cells into melanocytes as described previously14. Developing a system to generate melanocytes from other skin cells can provide a scheme for transforming other skin cells of vitiligo patients into melanocytes. Hence, it is crucial to construct a simple and efficient method for this direct reprogramming to generate melanocytes successfully.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.05% Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25300-062</td>
			<td>Stored at -20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.45 &#956;M filter</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>SLHVR33RB</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5 mL polystyrene round bottom tube</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>352052</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>95%/100% ethanol</td>
			<td>LANBAO</td>
			<td>210106</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Adenine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A2786</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 40 mg/mL 
			Final concentration 24 &#181;g/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Alexa Fluor 555 Goat anti-Mouse IgG2a</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>A21137</td>
			<td>Dilution of 1:500 to use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Antibiotics(Pen/Strep)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td>Stored at -20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-TRP1/TYRP1 Antibody</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MABC592</td>
			<td>Host/Isotype: Mouse IgG2a 
			Species reactivity: Mouse/Human 
			Dilution of 1:200 to use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-TRP2/DCT Antibody</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab74073</td>
			<td>Host/Isotype: Rabbit IgG 
			Species reactivity: Mouse/Human Dilution of 1:200 to use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CHIR99021</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0004</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 10 mM 
			Final concentration 3 &#956;M</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cholera toxin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C8052</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 0.3 mg/mL 
			Final concentration 20 pM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cy3 Goat anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L)</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>111-165-144</td>
			<td>Dilution of 1:500 to use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM (High glucose)</td>
			<td>HyClone</td>
			<td>SH30243.01</td>
			<td>Stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMSO&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D2650</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FBS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>10270-106</td>
			<td>Stored at -20 &#176;C 
			Heat-inactivated before use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gelatin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>G9391</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GFP-PURO plasmids (Mitf, Sox10, Pax3, Sox2, Sox9 and Snai2)</td>
			<td>Hanheng Biological Technology Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>pHBLPm003198 pHBLPm001143 pHBLPm002968 pHBLPm002981 pHBLPm004348 pHBLPm000325</td>
			<td>Stored at -20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hematoxylin</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab220365</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Human EDN3</td>
			<td>American-Peptide</td>
			<td>88-5-10A</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 100 &#956;M 
			Final concentration 0.1 &#956;M</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hydrocortisone</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H0888</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 100 &#181;g/mL 
			Final concentration 0.5 &#181;g/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-DOPA</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D9628</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Lipofectamine 2000</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11668-019</td>
			<td>Transfection reagent, stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Masson-Fontana staining kit</td>
			<td>Solarbio</td>
			<td>G2032</td>
			<td>Stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Neutral balsam</td>
			<td>Solarbio</td>
			<td>G8590</td>
			<td>Stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P6148</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS (-)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>C10010500BT</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P8139</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 1 mM 
			Final concentration 200 nM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polybrene</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H9268</td>
			<td>cationic polymeric transfection reagent; Stock concentration 8 &#956;g/&#181;L 
			Final concentration 4 ng/&#181;L</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Puromycin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>A11138-03</td>
			<td>Stored at -20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant human bFGF</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>13256-029</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 4 &#956;g/mL 
			Final concentration 10 ng/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant human insulin</td>
			<td>Sigma&#160;</td>
			<td>I3536</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 10 mg/mL 
			Final concentration 5 &#181;g/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant human SCF</td>
			<td>R&#38;D</td>
			<td>255-SC-010</td>
			<td>Stock concentration 200 &#956;g/mL 
			Final concentration 100 ng/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI-1640</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>11875-093</td>
			<td>Stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Xylene</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>1330-20-7</td>
			<td>Stored at RT</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into melanocytes

The loss of function of melanocytes leads to vitiligo, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of the affected individuals. Presently, there is no effective long-term treatment for vitiligo. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a convenient and effective treatment for vitiligo. Regenerative medicine technology for direct reprogramming of skin cells into melanocytes seems to be a promising novel treatment of vitiligo. This involves the direct reprogramming of the patient's skin cells into functional melanocytes to help ameliorate the loss of melanocytes in patients with vitiligo. However, this method needs to be first tested on mice. Although direct reprogramming is widely used, there is no clear protocol for direct reprogramming into melanocytes. Moreover, the number of available transcription factors is overwhelming. 
Here, a concentrated lentivirus packaging system protocol is presented to produce transcription factors selected for reprogramming skin cells to melanocytes, including Sox10, Mitf, Pax3, Sox2, Sox9, and Snai2. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were infected with the concentrated lentivirus for all these transcription factors for the direct reprogramming of the MEFs into induced melanocytes (iMels) in vitro. Furthermore, these transcription factors were screened, and the system was optimized for direct reprogramming to melanocytes. The expression of the characteristic markers of melanin in iMels at the gene or protein level was significantly increased. These results suggest that direct reprogramming of fibroblasts to melanocytes could be a successful new therapeutic strategy for vitiligo and confirm the mechanism of melanocyte development, which will provide the basis for further direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into melanocytes in vivo.

This article includes the protocols of a concentrated lentivirus packaging system to produce lentivirus of transcription factors for direct reprogramming of fibroblasts to melanocytes and protocols for screening for transcription factors and direct reprogramming of melanocytes from MEFs.
The success of concentrated lentivirus production was evaluated by observing the fluorescence intensity of GFP (Figure 1A) or by flow cytometry (Figure 1B</st...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes at JoVE.com

Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Here, we describe an optimized direct reprogramming system for melanocytes and a high-efficiency, concentrated virus packaging system that ensures smooth direct reprogramming.

The loss of function of melanocytes leads to vitiligo, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of the affected individuals. Presently, ...

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1.9K Views.  Jiangsu University. Here, we describe an optimized direct reprogramming system for melanocytes and a high-efficiency, concentrated virus packaging system that ensures smooth direct reprogramming.

Video: Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Stable and Efficient Genetic Modification of Cells in the Adult Mouse V-SVZ for the Analysis of Neural Stem Cell Autonomous and Non-autonomous Effects

Relatively quiescent somatic stem cells support life-long cell renewal in most adult tissues. Neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain are restricted to two specific neurogenic niches: the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus and the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ; also called subependymal zone or SEZ) in the walls of the lateral ventricles. The development of in vivo gene transfer strategies for adult stem cell populations (i.e. those of the mammalian brain) resulting in long-term expression of desired transgenes in the stem cells and their derived progeny is a crucial tool in current biomedical and biotechnological research. Here, a direct in vivo method is presented for the stable genetic modification of adult mouse V-SVZ cells that takes advantage of the cell cycle-independent infection by LVs and the highly specialized cytoarchitecture of the V-SVZ niche. Specifically, the current protocol involves the injection of empty LVs (control) or LVs encoding specific transgene expression cassettes into either the V-SVZ itself, for the in vivo targeting of all types of cells in the niche, or into the lateral ventricle lumen, for the targeting of ependymal cells only. Expression cassettes are then integrated into the genome of the transduced cells and fluorescent proteins, also encoded by the LVs, allow the detection of the transduced cells for the analysis of cell autonomous and non-autonomous, niche-dependent effects in the labeled cells and their progeny.

Here we describe a procedure based on the use of lentiviral particles for the long-term genetic modification of neural stem cells and/or their adjacent ependymal cells in the adult ventricular-subventricular neurogenic niche which allows the separate analysis of cell autonomous and non-autonomous, niche-dependent effects on neural stem cells.

Relatively quiescent somatic stem cells support life-long cell renewal in most adult tissues. Neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain are ...

Methods for Precisely Localized Transfer of Cells or DNA into Early Postimplantation Mouse Embryos

Manipulation and culture of early mouse embryos is a powerful yet largely under-utilized technology enhancing the value of this model system. Conversely, cell culture has been widely used in developmental biology studies. However, it is important to determine whether in vitro cultured cells truly represent in vivo cell types. Grafting cells into embryos, followed by an assessment of their contribution during development is a useful method to determine the potential of in vitro cultured cells. In this study, we describe a method for grafting cells into a defined site of early postimplantation mouse embryos, followed by ex vivo culture. We also introduce an optimized electroporation method that uses glass capillaries of known diameter, allowing precise localization and adjustment of the number of cells receiving exogenous DNA with both high transfection efficiency and low cell death. These techniques, which do not require any specialized equipment, render experimental manipulations of the gastrulation and early organogenesis-stage mouse embryo possible, allowing analysis of commitment in cultured cell subpopulations and the effect of genetic manipulations in situ on cell differentiation.

We demonstrate a method for grafting cultured cells into defined sites of early mouse embryos to determine their in vivo potential. We also introduce an optimized electroporation method that uses glass capillaries of known diameter, allowing the precise delivery of exogenous DNA into a few cells in the embryos.

Manipulation and culture of early mouse embryos is a powerful yet largely under-utilized technology enhancing the value of this model system. Conversely, ...

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent a platform to study human development in vitro under both normal and disease conditions. Researchers can direct the differentiation of hPSCs into the cell type of interest by manipulating the culture conditions to recapitulate signals seen during development. One such cell type is the melanocyte, a pigment-producing cell of neural crest (NC) origin responsible for protecting the skin against UV irradiation. This protocol presents an extension of a currently available in vitro Neural Crest differentiation protocol from hPSCs to further differentiate NC into fully pigmented melanocytes. Melanocyte precursors can be enriched from the Neural Crest protocol via a timed exposure to activators of WNT, BMP, and EDN3 signaling under dual-SMAD-inhibition conditions. The resultant melanocyte precursors are then purified and matured into fully pigmented melanocytes by culture in a selective medium. The resultant melanocytes are fully pigmented and stain appropriately for proteins characteristic of mature melanocytes.

This work describes an in vitro differentiation protocol to produce pigmented, mature melanocytes from human pluripotent stem cells via a neural crest and melanoblast intermediate stage using a feeder-free, 25 day protocol.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent a platform to study human development in vitro under both normal and disease conditions. Researchers can ...

Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming

Somatic reprogramming has enabled the conversion of adult cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from diverse genetic backgrounds and disease phenotypes. Recent advances have identified more efficient and safe methods for introduction of reprogramming factors. However, there are few tools to monitor and track the progression of reprogramming. Current methods for monitoring reprogramming rely on the qualitative inspection of morphology or staining with stem cell-specific dyes and antibodies. Tools to dissect the progression of iPSC generation can help better understand the process under different conditions from diverse cell sources. 
This study presents key approaches for kinetic measurement of reprogramming progression using flow cytometry as well as real-time monitoring via imaging. To measure the kinetics of reprogramming, flow analysis was performed at discrete time points using antibodies against positive and negative pluripotent stem cell markers. The combination of real-time visualization and flow analysis enables the quantitative study of reprogramming at different stages and provides a more accurate comparison of different systems and methods. Real-time, image-based analysis was used for the continuous monitoring of fibroblasts as they are reprogrammed in a feeder-free medium system. The kinetics of colony formation was measured based on confluence in the phase contrast or fluorescence channels after staining with live alkaline phosphatase dye or antibodies against SSEA4 or TRA-1-60. The results indicated that measurement of confluence provides semi-quantitative metrics to monitor the progression of reprogramming.

The protocol presented in this study describes methods for the real-time monitoring of reprogramming progression via the kinetic measurement of positive and negative pluripotent stem cell markers using flow cytometry analysis. The protocol also includes the imaging-based assessment of morphology, and marker or reporter expression during iPSC generation.

Somatic reprogramming has enabled the conversion of adult cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from diverse genetic backgrounds and disease ...

Protocol for the Direct Conversion of Murine Embryonic Fibroblasts into Trophoblast Stem Cells

Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) arise as a consequence of the first cell fate decision in mammalian development. They can be cultured in vitro, retaining the ability to self-renew and to differentiate into all subtypes of the trophoblast lineage, equivalent to the in vivo stem cell population giving rise to the fetal portion of the placenta. Therefore, TSCs offer a unique model to study placental development and embryonic versus extra-embryonic cell fate decision in vitro. From the blastocyst stage onwards, a distinct epigenetic barrier consisting of DNA methylation and histone modifications tightly separates both lineages. Here, we describe a protocol to fully overcome this lineage barrier by transient over-expression of trophoblast key regulators Tfap2c, Gata3, Eomes and Ets2 in murine embryonic fibroblasts. The induced trophoblast stem cells are able to self-renew and are almost identical to blastocyst derived trophoblast stem cells in terms of morphology, marker gene expression and methylation pattern. Functional in vitro and in vivo assays confirm that these cells are able to differentiate along the trophoblast lineage generating polyploid trophoblast giant cells and chimerizing the placenta when injected into blastocysts. The induction of trophoblast stem cells from somatic tissue opens new avenues to study genetic and epigenetic characteristics of this extra-embryonic lineage and offers the possibility to generate trophoblast stem cell lines without destroying the respective embryo.

Here we present a protocol for the direct conversion of murine embryonic fibroblasts into fully functional and stable trophoblast stem cells by ten day over-expression of Tfap2c, Gata3, Eomes and Ets2.

Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) arise as a consequence of the first cell fate decision in mammalian development. They can be cultured in vitro, retaining ...

Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with Transcription Factors to Induce a Hemogenic Program

This protocol details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). We first designed a reporter screen using MEFs from human CD34-tTA/TetO-H2BGFP (34/H2BGFP) double transgenic mice. CD34+ cells from these mice label H2B histones with GFP, and cease labeling upon addition of doxycycline (DOX). MEFS were transduced with candidate TFs and then observed for the emergence of GFP+ cells that would indicate the acquisition of a hematopoietic or endothelial cell fate. Starting with 18 candidate TFs, and through a process of combinatorial elimination, we obtained a minimal set of factors that would induce the highest percentage of GFP+ cells. We found that Gata2, Gfi1b, and cFos were necessary and the addition of Etv6 provided the optimal induction. A series of gene expression analyses done at different time points during the reprogramming process revealed that these cells appeared to go through a precursor cell that underwent an endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT). As such, this reprogramming process mimics developmental hematopoiesis "in a dish," allowing study of hematopoiesis in vitro and a platform to identify the mechanisms that underlie this specification. This methodology also provides a framework for translation of this work to the human system in the hopes of generating an alternative source of patient-specific hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for a number of applications in the treatment and study of hematologic diseases.

The protocol described here details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts via overexpression of a minimal set of transcription factors. This technology may be translated to the human system to provide platforms for future study of hematopoiesis, hematologic disease, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

This protocol details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). We ...

Establishment of Proliferative Tetraploid Cells from Nontransformed Human Fibroblasts

Polyploid (mostly tetraploid) cells are often observed in preneoplastic lesions of human tissues and their chromosomal instability has been considered to be responsible for carcinogenesis in such tissues. Although proliferative polyploid cells are requisite for analyzing chromosomal instability of polyploid cells, creating such cells from nontransformed human cells is rather challenging. Induction of tetraploidy by chemical agents usually results in a mixture of diploid and tetraploid populations, and most studies employed fluorescence-activated cell sorting or cloning by limiting dilution to separate tetraploid from diploid cells. However, these procedures are time-consuming and laborious. The present report describes a relatively simple protocol to induce proliferative tetraploid cells from normal human fibroblasts with minimum contamination by diploid cells. Briefly, the protocol is comprised of the following steps: arresting cells in mitosis by demecolcine (DC), collecting mitotic cells after shaking off, incubating collected cells with DC for an additional 3 days, and incubating cells in drug-free medium (They resume proliferation as tetraploid cells within several days). Depending on cell type, the collection of mitotic cells by shaking off might be omitted. This protocol provides a simple and feasible method to establish proliferative tetraploid cells from normal human fibroblasts. Tetraploid cells established by this method could be a useful model for studying chromosome instability and the oncogenic potential of polyploid human cells.

Although proliferative polyploid cells are necessary to analyze chromosomal instability of polyploid cells, creating such cells from nontransformed human cells is not easy. The present report describes relatively simple procedures to establish proliferative tetraploid cells free of a diploid population from normal human fibroblasts.

Polyploid (mostly tetraploid) cells are often observed in preneoplastic lesions of human tissues and their chromosomal instability has been considered to ...

Conditional Reprogramming of Pediatric Human Esophageal Epithelial Cells for Use in Tissue Engineering and Disease Investigation

Identifying and expanding patient-specific cells in culture for use in tissue engineering and disease investigation can be very challenging. Utilizing various types of stem cells to derive cell types of interest is often costly, time consuming and highly inefficient. Furthermore, undesired cell types must be removed prior to using this cell source, which requires another step in the process. In order to obtain enough esophageal epithelial cells to engineer the lumen of an esophageal construct or to screen therapeutic approaches for treating esophageal disease, native esophageal epithelial cells must be expanded without altering their gene expression or phenotype. Conditional reprogramming of esophageal epithelial tissue offers a promising approach to expanding patient-specific esophageal epithelial cells. Furthermore, these cells do not need to be sorted or purified and will return to a mature epithelial state after removing them from conditional reprogramming culture. This technique has been described in many cancer screening studies and allows for indefinite expansion of these cells over multiple passages. The ability to perform esophageal screening assays would help revolutionize the treatment of pediatric esophageal diseases like eosinophilic esophagitis by identifying the trigger mechanism causing the patient's symptoms. For those patients who suffer from congenital defect, disease or injury of the esophagus, this cell source could be used as a means to seed a synthetic construct for implantation to repair or replace the affected region.

Expansion of human pediatric esophageal epithelial cells utilizing conditional reprogramming provides investigators with a patient-specific population of cells that can be utilized for engineering esophageal constructs for autologous implantation to treat defects or injury and serve as a reservoir for therapeutic screening assays.

Identifying and expanding patient-specific cells in culture for use in tissue engineering and disease investigation can be very challenging. Utilizing ...

Assessing Cardiomyocyte Subtypes Following Transcription Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts

Direct reprogramming of one cell type into another has recently emerged as a powerful paradigm for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and lineage specification. In particular, the conversion of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like myocytes (iCLMs) by Gata4, Hand2, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GHMT) represents an important avenue for generating de novo cardiac myocytes in vitro and in vivo. Recent evidence suggests that GHMT generates a greater diversity of cardiac subtypes than previously appreciated, thus underscoring the need for a systematic approach to conducting additional studies. Before direct reprogramming can be used as a therapeutic strategy, however, the mechanistic underpinnings of lineage conversion must be understood in detail to generate specific cardiac subtypes. Here we present a detailed protocol for generating iCLMs by GHMT-mediated reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). 
We outline methods for MEF isolation, retroviral production, and MEF infection to accomplish efficient reprogramming. To determine the subtype identity of reprogrammed cells, we detail a step-by-step approach for performing immunocytochemistry on iCLMs using a defined set of compatible antibodies. Methods for confocal microscopy, identification, and quantification of iCLMs and individual atrial (iAM), ventricular (iVM), and pacemaker (iPM) subtypes are also presented. Finally, we discuss representative results of prototypical direct reprogramming experiments and highlight important technical aspects of our protocol to ensure efficient lineage conversion. Taken together, our optimized protocol should provide a stepwise approach for investigators to conduct meaningful cardiac reprogramming experiments that require identification of individual CM subtypes.

This manuscript describes a step-by-step protocol for the generation and quantification of diverse reprogrammed cardiac subtypes using a retrovirus-mediated delivery of Gata4, Hand2, Mef2c, and Tbx5.

Direct reprogramming of one cell type into another has recently emerged as a powerful paradigm for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and lineage ...

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions

Autologous cell-based therapies got a step closer to reality with the introduction of induced pluripotent stem cells. Fetal stem cells, such as amniotic fluid and membrane mesenchymal stem cells, represent a unique type of undifferentiated cells with promise in tissue engineering and for reprogramming into iPSC for future pediatric interventions and stem cell banking. The protocol presented here describes an optimized procedure for extracting and culturing primary amniotic fluid and membrane mesenchymal stem cells and generating episomal induced pluripotent stem cells from these cells in fully chemically defined culture conditions utilizing human recombinant vitronectin and the E8 medium. Characterization of the new lines by applying stringent methods &#8211; flow cytometry, confocal imaging, teratoma formation and transcriptional profiling &#8211; is also described. The newly generated lines express markers of embryonic stem cells &#8211; Oct3/4A, Nanog, Sox2, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SSEA-4 &#8211; while being negative for the SSEA-1 marker. The stem cell lines form teratomas in scid-beige mice in 6-8 weeks and the teratomas contain tissues representative of all three germ layers. Transcriptional profiling of the lines by submitting global expression microarray data to a bioinformatic pluripotency assessment algorithm deemed all lines pluripotent and therefore, this approach is an attractive alternative to animal testing. The new iPSC lines can readily be used in downstream experiments involving the optimization of differentiation and tissue engineering.

This protocol describes the reprogramming of primary amniotic fluid and membrane mesenchymal stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells using a non-integrating episomal approach in fully chemically defined conditions. Procedures of extraction, culture, reprogramming, and characterization of the resulting induced pluripotent stem cells by stringent methods are detailed.

Autologous cell-based therapies got a step closer to reality with the introduction of induced pluripotent stem cells. Fetal stem cells, such as amniotic ...