Methods for reprogramming cells and uses thereof

1. A method of obtaining a pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell, comprising:

i) providing a cell of a first type which is not a pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell, wherein the cell of the first type is an adipose stein cell (ADSC) or a fibroblast cell;

ii) contacting the cell of a first type with an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell, wherein the agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA is a historic acetylator, an inhibitor of historic deacetylation, a DNA demethylator, and/or an inhibitor of DNA methylation;

iii) introducing into the cell of a first type at least one pancreatic multipotent or unipotent gene regulator polypeptide and/or a polynucleotide encoding said at least one pancreatic multipotent or unipotent gene regulator, to a level at which the at least one pancreatic multipotent or unipotent gene regulator is capable of driving transformation of the cell of a first type into the pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell, wherein the at least one pancreatic multipotent or unipotent gene regulator is selected from the group consisting of: Sox17, Pdx1, and Ngn3; Oct4, Sox17, Pdx1, and Ngn3; Oct4, Pdx1, and Ngn3; FoxA2, Pdx1, and Sox17; Pdx1 and Ngn3; Pdx1 and FoxA2; and Pdx1 and Oct4; and

iv) placing or maintaining the cell in a pancreatic cell culture medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the at least one pancreatic multipotent or unipotent gene regulator for a sufficient period of time to allow a pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell to be obtained.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (ii), the remodeling agent is methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2), DNA-damage-inducible beta (Gadd45b), valproic acid or 5-azacytidine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (ii), the remodeling agent is methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell so obtained possesses one or more of the following characteristics:

i) expression of one or more pancreatic progenitor-like cell marker selected from the group consisting of Pdx1, Ngn3, NKX2.2, Gata4 and FoxA2;

ii) is capable of differentiation into at least one cell expressing a marker specific for a pancreatic progenitor-like cell;

iii) has one or more morphological characteristic of a pancreatic stem cell or pancreatic progenitor cell;

iv) expression of at least one pancreatic-specific antigen;

v) expression of one or more functional pancreatic markers upon pancreatic differentiation; and

vi) is capable of significantly improving or maintaining one or more pancreatic functional measures after injecting an adequate number of said pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cells into a mouse model for pancreatic disease.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic multipotent cell so obtained possesses all of the following characteristics:

(i) expresses one or more pancreatic progenitor cell marker;

(ii) can self-renew for significantly longer than a somatic cell;

(iii) is not a cancerous cell;

(iv) is stable and not artificially maintained by forced gene expression and may be maintained in standard pancreatic stem cell media;

(v) can differentiate to a pancreatic precursor cell, an islet β-cell or to another differentiated cell type of the pancreatic lineage; and

(vi) does not exhibit uncontrolled growth, teratoma formation, or tumor formation in vivo.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cells are obtained and wherein the plurality of pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cells are organized within a three-dimensional structure.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell of the first cell type is a human fibroblast cell or a human adipose derived stem cell.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the cells of a first cell type with a cytoskeleton disruptor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cytoskeleton disruptor is Cytochalasin B or a myosin inhibitor.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic unipotent cell so obtained possesses all of the following characteristics:

(i) expresses a pancreatic marker;

(ii) is not a cancerous cell;

(iii) is stable and not artificially maintained by forced gene expression and may be maintained in standard pancreatic cell media; and

(iv) does not exhibit uncontrolled growth, teratoma formation, or tumor formation in vivo.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pancreatic marker is selected from the group consisting of Pdx1, Ngn3, NKX2.2, Gata4 and FoxA2.

12. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more functional pancreatic marker expressed upon pancreatic differentiation is selected from the group consisting of Pdx1, Ngn3, NKX2.2, Gata4 and FoxA2.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell obtained is a multipotent cell and capable of differentiating into a pancreatic unipotent or somatic cell.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic multipotent or unipotent cell obtained is a unipotent cell and capable of differentiating into a pancreatic somatic cell.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pancreatic somatic cell is an islet β-cell capable of secreting insulin.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step the cell of a first type is transfected with at least one expression vector encoding polypeptide(s) selected from the group consisting of: Sox17, Pdx1, and Ngn3; Oct4, Sox17, Pdx1, and Ngn3; Oct4, Pdx1, and Ngn3; FoxA2, Pdx1, and Sox17; Pdx1 and Ngn3; Pdx1 and FoxA2; and Pdx1 and Oct4.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fibroblast cell is a fetal fibroblast cell.