Mediator Med23 Deficiency Enhances Neural Differentiation of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells through Modulating BMP Signaling Researchers investigated the functional roles of Mediator Med23 in pluripotency and lineage commitment of murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Unexpectedly, they found that, despite the largely unchanged pluripotency and self-renewal of ESCs, Med23 depletion rendered the cells prone to neural differentiation in different differentiation assays. [Development] Abstract The Differential Activation of Intracellular Signaling Pathways Confers the Permissiveness of Embryonic Stem Cell Derivation from Different Mouse Strains To reveal the molecular basis of the strain-dependent function of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), scientists compared the activation of the intracellular signaling pathways downstream of LIF in embryonic stem cells with different genetic backgrounds. [Development] Abstract | Full Article A Tight Control of Rif1 by Oct4 and Smad3 Is Critical for Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Stability To understand how SMAD family member 3 (Smad3) contributes to embryonic stem cell (ESC) stability, investigators performed microarray analysis to compare the transcriptome of wild-type and Smad3-/- ESCs. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article Gene Targeting via Homologous Recombination in Monkey Embryonic Stem Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9 System Scientists demonstrate the feasibility to genetically modify the embryonic stem cells of Rhesus monkey via clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system for cell tracing. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract Putative Immunogenicity Expression Profiling Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Derivatives Researchers found that ZG16 expression is heterogeneous across multiple human embryonic stem cell and human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cell types. [Stem Cells Transl Med] Abstract Comparison of Cardiomyocyte Differentiation Potential between Type 1 Diabetic Donor- and Non-Diabetic Donor-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Investigators comparatively analyzed cardiomyocyte differentiation capacity of non-diabetic donor-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and type 1 diabetes mellitus-iPSCs. [Cell Transplant] Abstract Thymopentin Enhances the Generation of T-Cell Lineage Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells In Vitro Scientists developed a novel strategy that enhances T-cell lineage differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in collagen matrix culture by sequential cytokine cocktails treatment combined with thymopentin stimulation. [Exp Cell Res] Abstract Improved Approach for Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Researchers report a new, straightforward and highly efficient approach for chondrogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells, which avoids embryoid body formation. [Stem Cell Rev] Abstract | Full Article |