In mammals, differentiated cells generally do not de-differentiate nor undergo cell fate alterations. However, they can be experimentally guided toward a different lineage. Cell fusion involving two different cell types has long been used to study this process, as this method induces cell fate alterations within hours to days in a subpopulation of fused cells, as evidenced by changes in gene-expression profiles. Despite the robustness of this system, its use has been restricted by low fusion rates and difficulty in eliminating unfused populations, thereby compromising resolution. In this study, we address these limitations by isolating fused cells using antibody-conjugated beads. This approach enables the microscopic tracking of fused cells starting as early as 5 hours after fusion. By taking advantage of species-specific FISH probes, we show that a small population of fused cells resulting from the fusion of mouse ES and human B cells, expresses OCT4 from human nuclei at levels comparable to human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as early as 25 hours after fusion. We also show that this response can vary depending on the fusion partner. Our study broadens the usage of the cell fusion system for comprehending the mechanisms underlying cell fate alterations. These findings hold promise for diverse fields, including regenerative medicine and cancer.
Keywords: cell fusion; heterokaryons; single-molecule RNA-FISH.