A mini-review to delineate the different roles of stem cells and Wnt signalling pathways in governing transdifferentiation towards neuronal lineage.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells are found to have the potential to differentiate into many lineages, thus regulating diverse signalling cascades. This unique property of stem cells, called trans differentiation/linear reprogramming, aided in regenerative medicine and tissue repair. The mechanism of such regeneration is still unclear and requires further analysis. Due to the use of external or oncogenic factors, one of the approaches for mending cardiac, renal, and neurological disorders after an injury by induced pluripotent stem cells in the form of reprogramming does not show much benefit in the clinical setting. Consequently, cellular reprogramming may enable the application of clinical research to cell therapy, disease modelling, drug screening, and the fabrication of artificial organs. Studies related to this distinctive phenomenon of stem cells, where the cells could reprogramme themselves into completely different cell lineages, showed a promising future in therapeutic applications.  However, unrelenting development in cellular reprogramming has prepared the ways for novel strategies in which signalling pathway manipulation may decide cellular destiny. This cellular reprogramming has got bright prospects in the field of regenerative medicine. Therefore, understanding the relationship between stochasticity and defining cell fate can help decipher molecular regulatory mechanisms of cellular reprogramming.