[Progress on in situ cell transdifferentiation in central nervous system]

Abstract

Central nervous system injury leads to irreversible neuronal loss and glial scar formation, which ultimately results in persistent neurological dysfunction. Regenerative medicine suggests that replenishing missing neurons may be an ideal approach to repair the damage. Recent researches showed that many mature cells could be transdifferentiated into functional neurons by reprogramming. Therefore, reprogramming endogenous glia in situ to produce functional neurons shows great potential and unique advantage for repairing neuronal damage and treating neurodegenerative diseases. The present review summarized the current research progress on in situ transdifferentiation in the central nervous system, focusing on the cell types, characteristics and research progress of glial cells that could be transdifferentiated in situ, in order to provide theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies of neuronal injury and further clinical application.