Reprogramming is achieved within a single cell cycle after mouse nuclear transfer

Although nuclear transfer allows the reprogramming of somatic cells to totipotency, little is known concerning the kinetics by which it takes place or the minimum requirements for its success. Here, we demonstrate that reprogramming can be achieved within a few hours and a single cell-cycle as long as two key constraints on reprogramming are satisfied. First, the recipient cell chromosomes must be removed during mitosis. Second, the nuclear envelope of the donor cell must be broken down and its chromosomes condensed, allowing an embryonic nucleus to be constructed around the incoming chromosomes. If these requirements are not met, then reprogramming fails and embryonic development arrests. These results point to a central role for processes intimately linked to cell division in mediating efficient transitions between transcriptional programs. tail tip skin fibroblasts were transferred into mitotic mouse zygotes, blastomeres or oocytes.