RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 In vivo Chemical Reprogramming of Astrocytes into Functional Neurons JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 305185 DO 10.1101/305185 A1 Yantao Ma A1 Handan Xie A1 Xiaomin Du A1 Lipeng Wang A1 Xueqin Jin A1 Shicheng Sun A1 Yanchuang Han A1 Yawen Han A1 Jun Xu A1 Zhuo Huang A1 Zhen Chai A1 Hongkui Dengi YR 2018 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/04/20/305185.abstract AB Mammals lack robust regenerative abilities. Lost cells in impaired tissue could potentially be compensated by converting nearby cells in situ through in vivo reprogramming. Small molecule-induced reprogramming is a spatiotemporally flexible and non-integrative strategy for altering cell fate, which is, in principle, favorable for the in vivo reprogramming in organs with poor regenerative abilities, such as the brain. Here, we demonstrate that in the adult mouse brain, small molecules can reprogram resident astrocytes into functional neurons. The in situ chemically induced neurons (CiNs) resemble endogenous neurons in terms of neuron-specific marker expression and electrophysiological properties. Importantly, these CiNs can integrate into the mouse brain. Our study, for the first time, demonstrates in vivo chemical reprogramming in the adult brain, which could be a novel path for generating desired cells in situ for regenerative medicine.