ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Since an effective method for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human neural stem cells (hNSCs) can offer us a promising tool for studying brain diseases, here we reported direct reprogramming of adult hNSCs into iPSCs by retroviral transduction of four defined factors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>NSCs were successfully isolated and cultured from the hippocampus tissue of epilepsy patients. When combined with four factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC), iPSCs colonies were successfully obtained.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Morphological characterization and specific genetic expression confirmed that these hNSCs-derived iPSCs showed embryonic stem cells-like properties, which include the ability to differentiate into all three germ layers both in vitro and in vivo.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our method would be useful for generating human iPSCs from NSCs and provide an important tool for studying neurological diseases.</p>