A method of obtaining a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell, comprising: i) providing a cell of a first type which is not a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell; ii) introducing into the cell of a first type an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell, wherein the agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA is a histone acetylator, an inhibitor of histone deacetylation, a DNA demethylator, and/or a chemical inhibitor of DNA methylation; iii) introducing into the cell of a first type a reprogramming polypeptide and/or a polynucleotide encoding said reprogramming polypeptide, wherein the reprogramming polypeptide comprises Mesp1, Brachyury (T), Nkx2.5, and/or Tbx5; and iv) placing or maintaining the cell in a cardiac cell culture medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the reprogramming polypeptide or the polynucleotide encoding the reprogramming polypeptide for a sufficient period of time to allow a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell to be obtained.