Fig. 2

VitC promotes the direct reprogramming of MEFs into induced cardiomyocytes. A Summary of reprogramming efficiency with indicated small molecules to explore their cardiomyocyte forming-enhancing effect. Reprogramming efficiency of indicated conditions was measured by flow cytometric analyses. The GFP⁺ expression for each condition was normalized to the Doxy treated condition. B Representative fluorescence images of MEFs with or without Doxy exposure, together with exposure to different concentrations of VitC. Upon exposure to Doxy, cells started to express GFP while not being present in non-exposed MEFs, reflecting the success of cardiac reprogramming. Scale bar 200 μm. C, D Representative FACS images and statistical analysis of GFP⁺ MEFs with different concentrations of VitC treatment. E Experiment layout for exploring the duration effect of VitC on cardiac reprogramming. F Quantification of GFP⁺ MEFs of different duration with VitC administration. G, Quantification of GFP⁺ MEFs of different time slots with VitC administration. Mean values + SEM of three independent experiments is shown (n = 3). Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA. *p ≤ 0.05 vs Doxy, **p ≤ 0.01 vs Doxy, ***p ≤ 0.001 vs Doxy. (Doxy: Doxycycline)