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World J Stem Cells. Sep 26, 2014; 6(4): 458-466
Published online Sep 26, 2014. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i4.458
Renal stem cell reprogramming: Prospects in regenerative medicine
Elvin E Morales, Rebecca A Wingert
Elvin E Morales, Rebecca A Wingert, Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
Author contributions: Morales EE and Wingert RA both designed the content of the manuscript, drafted and revised the manuscript, and approved the final version for publication.
Supported by National Institutes of Health, No. DP2 OD008470, R01 DK100237; Start-up funds from the University of Notre Dame and College of Science; and a generous donation for stem cell research to the University of Notre Dame by Elizabeth and Michael Gallagher on behalf of the Gallagher family
Correspondence to: Rebecca A Wingert, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States. rwingert@nd.edu
Telephone: +1-574-6310907 Fax: +1-574-6317413
Received: July 26, 2014
Revised: August 21, 2014
Accepted: August 30, 2014
Published online: September 26, 2014
Processing time: 61 Days and 9.3 Hours
Abstract

Stem cell therapy is a promising future enterprise for renal replacement in patients with acute and chronic kidney disease, conditions which affect millions worldwide and currently require patients to undergo lifelong medical treatments through dialysis and/or organ transplant. Reprogramming differentiated renal cells harvested from the patient back into a pluripotent state would decrease the risk of tissue rejection and provide a virtually unlimited supply of cells for regenerative medicine treatments, making it an exciting area of current research in nephrology. Among the major hurdles that need to be overcome before stem cell therapy for the kidney can be applied in a clinical setting are ensuring the fidelity and relative safety of the reprogrammed cells, as well as achieving feasible efficiency in the reprogramming processes that are utilized. Further, improved knowledge about the genetic control of renal lineage development is vital to identifying predictable and efficient reprogramming approaches, such as the expression of key modulators or the regulation of gene activity through small molecule mimetics. Here, we discuss several recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell technologies. We also explore strategies that have been successful in renal progenitor generation, and explore what these methods might mean for the development of cell-based regenerative therapies for kidney disease.

Keywords: Kidney; Regeneration; Induced pluripotent stem cell; Reprogramming; Differentiation; Stem cell; Renal progenitor

Core tip: The identification of regenerative therapies to treat kidney disease is an exciting but challenging area of ongoing scientific investigation. Cellular reprogramming may provide a tractable means to replace damaged renal tissue, and current researchers have pursued a number of innovative ways to produce renal cell types. Here we explore the issues confronting several reprogramming technologies, recent advances in reprogramming renal cells, and discuss areas of future scrutiny that are needed to help develop cell-based therapies for various kidney disease conditions.