Notch Inhibition Allows Oncogene-Independent Generation of iPS Cells Scientists show that inhibition of Notch greatly improves the efficiency of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell generation from mouse and human keratinocytes by suppressing p21 in a p53-independent manner and thereby enriching for undifferentiated cells capable of long-term self-renewal. [Nat Chem Biol] Abstract Evolutionally Dynamic L1 Regulation in Embryonic Stem Cells Scientists demonstrate that in human embryonic stem cells, KAP1 (KRAB [Krüppel-associated box domain]-associated protein 1), the master cofactor of KRAB-containing zinc finger proteins previously implicated in the restriction of endogenous retroviruses, represses a discrete subset of long interspersed element-1 (L1) lineages predicted to have entered the ancestral genome between 26.8 million and 7.6 million years ago. [Genes Dev] Abstract Generation of Multipotent Early Lymphoid Progenitors from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Using a two-step culture procedure investigators identified two original populations of embryonic stem cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells with CD34+CD45RA+CD7– and CD34+CD45RA+CD7+ phenotypes. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract Drp1 Is Dispensable for Mitochondria Biogenesis in Induction to Pluripotency but Required for Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells The authors tested the role of Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) in the induction and maintenance of pluripotency. They showed that Drp1 band shift occurs in ES cells and iPS cells induced from fibroblasts, in association with mitochondrial morphogenesis. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract Genome-Wide Mapping of miRNAs Expressed in Embryonic Stem Cells and Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated by Different Reprogramming Strategies Scientists demonstrate that reprogrammed cells (induced pluripotent stem cells and nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells [ESCs]) have unique microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns compared with ESCs. [BMC Genomics] Abstract | Full Article Mechanism of SB431542 in Inhibiting Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Considering that SB431542 (SB) could not maintain embryonic stem cells pluripotency when leukemia inhibitory factor was withdrawn, scientists sought to identify the mechanism of SB on pluripotent maintenance. [Cell Signal] Abstract High Efficiency Differentiation of Functional Hepatocytes from Porcine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Researchers generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from porcine ear fibroblasts by overexpressing Sox2, Klf4, Oct4, and c-Myc, and developed a novel strategy for the efficient differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells from porcine iPSCs by following the processes of early liver development. [PLoS One] Full Article Generation of the SCN1A Epilepsy Mutation in hiPS Cells Using the TALEN Technique Combining the Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nuclease (TALEN) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell methods, scientists developed two iPS cell lines by generating the point mutation A5768G in the SCN1A gene, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1 α subunit. [Sci Rep] Full Article CCL2 Enhances Pluripotency of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by Activating Hypoxia Related Genes Scientists show that chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) enhances the expression of pluripotent marker genes through the phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein. [Sci Rep] Full Article | Press Release A Method to Identify and Isolate Pluripotent Human Stem Cells and Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells Using Lipid Body-Associated Retinyl Ester Fluorescence Researchers describe the use of a characteristic blue fluorescence to identify and isolate pluripotent human embryonic stem cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells. [Stem Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract |