Methods for reprogramming cells and uses thereof

An in vitro human cardiac multi potent or unipotent cell that has the ability to proliferate; may be maintained in standard cardiac stem cell media; can differentiate to a progenitor, precursor, or somatic cell; has the characteristics of a cardiac stem cell, a cardiac precursor cell, or a cardiac progenitor cell; does not exhibit uncontrolled growth, teratoma formation, or tumor formation in vivo; expresses one or more markers of a multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell not characteristic of a cardiac stem cell, a cardiac precursor cell, or a cardiac progenitor cell; and is derived from the reprogramming of a somatic cell, a progenitor cell or a stem cell that exhibits at least a transient increase in intracellular levels of at least one reprogramming agent; wherein the cell comprises at least one transiently expressed polypeptide or an expression vector.