Genome wide gene expression profiling and methylation profiling of directly reprogrammed osteoblasts from mouse fibroblasts

We identified four transcriptional factors, Runx2, Osx, Dlx5, and ATF4, that rapidly and efficiently reprogram mouse fibroblasts derived from 2.3 kb type I collagen promoter-driven green fluorescent protein (Col2.3GFP) transgenic mice into induced osteoblast cells (iOBs). The global transcriptome profiling validated that iOBs resemble primary osteoblasts. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis demonstrates that within differentially methylated loci, the methylation status of iOBs more closely resembles primary osteoblasts than mouse fibroblasts. We further demonstrate that Col2.3GFP+ iOBs have transcriptome profiles similar to GFP+ cells derived from Col2.3GFP transgenic mouse bone chips. Overall design: Examine gene expression profiling of Induced osteoblasts (iOB), fibroblast, calvarial derived osteoblast (calvarial-OB), Col2.3GFP+ sorted from iOB (iOB GFP+), Col2.3GFP+ sorted from bone chip (Bone chip GFP+); Examine mathylation profiling of iOB, fibroblast, calvaril-OB