Chemically-induced osteogenic cells (ciOG) from fibroblasts

Here we report the reprogramming of human fibroblasts to produce chemically-induced osteogenic cells (ciOG), and explore the potential uses of ciOG in bone repair and disease treatment. A chemical cocktail of RepSox, forskolin, and phenamil was used for osteogenic induction of fibroblasts by activation of RUNX2 expression. Following a maturation, the cells differentiated toward an osteoblast phenotype that produced mineralized tissue. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed that up- and down-regulated genes in ciOG relative to aHDF resembled those in hOB during maturation. Overall design: The comparisons of global transcriptome among ciOG, ciOG(M7p) (maturated ciOG with phenamil for further 7 days), HDF (human dermal fibroblasts), and hOB (human osteoblasts)