A quadruple transgenic reprogrammable mouse model containing SLC34a1-Cre, dTomato, rtTA, and OKMS is used to determine epigenetic memory in kidney proximal tubule cell derived induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Some evidence shows that iPSC retain epigenetic marks of their cell of origin and this “epigenetic memory” influences their differentiation potential, with a preference towards their cell of origin. Here, we reprogrammed proximal tubule cells (PTC) and tail tip fibroblasts (TTF), from a reprogrammable mouse to iPSCs and differentiated the iPSCs to renal progenitors to understand if epigenetic memory plays a role in renal differentiation. This model allowed us to eliminate variability due to donor genetic differences, as well as variability that may arise during transfection of the reprogramming factors such as copy number and integration site.