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Summary of our research
A research team led by Associate Professor Toshiyuki Yamane at the Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, has demonstrated that introducing a single transcription factor gene, Pu.1, into mouse fibroblasts can reprogram these fibroblasts into macrophages, a type of blood cell responsible for eliminating pathogens and other foreign substances and for mediating immune responses in the body. They further showed that by adding additional transcription factor genes, fibroblasts can be efficiently converted into osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling and calcium metabolism, as well as microglia, which play roles in immune responses and synaptic pruning in the brain and spinal cord. Moreover, by applying this technique to human cells, the team successfully induced human fibroblasts to differentiate into human macrophages capable of phagocytosis.
These findings were published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences on ○○ September 2026.
Macrophage lineages are involved in a wide variety of diseases. By applying this technology, it is expected that diverse disease-model cells can be generated, enabling applications such as drug screening and pharmacological testing in personalized medicine.
Journal： Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Published： 2026/9/9
Title： PU.1-Mediated Rapid Conversion of Fibroblasts into Macrophage-Lineage Cells
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-026-06445-1
Researcher information
YAMANE Toshiyuki
Associate Professor, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine
Department of Health Data Science, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Data Science
Specialized area：
Stem Cell Biology, Immunology, Embryology
Current research field：
・Elucidation of the developmental mechanisms of hematopoietic cells and immune cells
・Elucidation of the self-renewal mechanisms of hematopoietic cells and immune cells
・Development of methods for generating hematopoietic cells and immune cells through reprogramming