Inducible three-factor direct reprogramming to nephron progenitors using piggyBac transposons

All nephrons in the mammalian kidney arise from a transient nephron progenitor population that is lost after birth. The recreation of nephron progenitors (NPs) and/or their maintenance in culture has been a major focus of renal regenerative strategies. Using a lentiviral screening approach, we previously generated an induced nephron progenitor (iNP) state in vitro using a pool of six transcription factors (SIX1, SIX2, HOXA11, OSR1, EYA1, SNAI2). Here, using an inducible piggyBac transposon system, we demonstrate efficient reprogramming to iNPs with only three transcription factors (SNAI2, EYA1 and SIX1). Coupled with maintenance in culture conditions supportive of this progenitor state, the resulting population can contribute to developing nephrons in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. This approach provides a rapid and efficient method for the generation of NPs from human somatic cells. RNA-seq of three replicates each of nephron progenitors with inducible transcript factors across uninduced sample, induced sample on HGM media and induced samples on NPSR media