Summary: Diverse cell types can be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells by ectopic expression of Oct4 (Pou5f1), Klf4, Sox3, and Myc. Many of these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) retain memory, in terms of DNA methylation and histone modifications (epigenetic memory), of their cellular origins, and this may bias subsequent differentiation. Neurons are difficult to reprogram, and there has not been a systematic side-by-side characterization of reprogramming efficiency or epigenetic memory across different neuronal subtypes. Here, we compare reprogramming efficiency of five different retinal cell types at two different stages of development. Retinal differentiation from each iPSC line was measured using a quantitative standardized scoring system called STEM-RET and compared to the epigenetic memory. Neurons with the lowest reprogramming efficiency produced iPSC lines with the best retinal differentiation and were more likely to retain epigenetic memory of their cellular origins. In addition, we identified biomarkers of iPSCs that are predictive of retinal differentiation. : Wang et al. reprogram retinal cell types into iPSCs and test their ability to make retinal organoids. They discover an inverse correlation between reprogramming efficiency and retinal differentiation linked to DNA/chromatin modifications and nuclear organization. These data identify molecular markers of iPSC lines that are efficient at producing retina. Keywords: iPSCs, epigenetics, reprogramming, retina, epigenetic memory, retinal organoid, chromHMM, Meis1
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