ESC & iPSC News 12.37 September 20, 2017 | |
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TOP STORYGenome Editing Reveals Role of Gene Important for Human Embryo Development Researchers used genome editing technology to reveal the role of a key gene in human embryos in the first few days of development. This is the first time that genome editing has been used to study gene function in human embryos, which could help scientists to better understand the biology of our early development. [Press release from the University of Cambridge discussing online prepublication in Nature] Press Release 1 | Press Release 2 | Full Article | Editorial 1 | Editorial 2 | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)Human Stem Cells Alter the Invasive Properties of Somatic Cells via Paracrine Activation of mTORC1 Scientists demonstrated that embryonic, induced pluripotent and amniotic fluid stem cells share the property to induce the invasion of primary somatic cells of various origins through insulin-like growth factor I- or II-mediated paracrine activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). They propose a model in which downstream of mTORC1 this stem cell-induced invasion is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha-regulated matrix metalloproteinases. [Nat Commun] Full Article Pluripotency Surveillance by Myc-Driven Competitive Elimination of Differentiating Cells Using live tracking of Myc levels, investigators showed that Myc-high ESCs approach the naive pluripotency state, whereas Myc-low ESCs are closer to the differentiation-primed state. [Dev Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Using a fully defined culture system, researchers found that the efficient differentiation of human PSCs to neural crest depends on precise levels of BMP signaling, which are vulnerable to fluctuations in endogenous BMP production. They present a method that controls for this phenomenon and could be applied to other systems where endogenous signaling can also affect the outcome of differentiation protocols. [Stem Cell Reports] Abstract Blockage of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Is Required for Embryonic Stem Cell Derivation Scientists observed a tight correlation between ESCs and preimplantation epiblast cell-related genes and noticed that fundamental events such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition blockage play a key role in launching the ESC self-renewal program. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article The authors investigated the global immune-related gene expression profiles of human ESCs, hiPSCs and somatic cells and identified candidate immune-related genes that may alter their immunogenicity. The expression levels of global immune-related genes were determined by comparing undifferentiated and differentiated stem cells and three types of human somatic cells: dermal papilla cells, ovarian granulosa cells and foreskin fibroblast cells. [Exp Mol Med] Full Article Investigators showed that ESCs constitutively expressed diverse homologous recombination (HR) proteins throughout the cell cycle and that HR protein expression was not significantly changed even in the DNA damaging conditions. They further analyzed that depleting Rad51 resulted in the accumulation of larger single-stranded DNA gaps, but did not perturb DNA replication, indicating that ESCs were able to enter the G2-phase in the presence of unrepaired DNA gaps, consistent with the possibility that post-replication repair helps avoid stalling at the G2/M checkpoint. [Sci Rep] Full Article Y Chromosome Missing Protein, TBL1Y, May Play an Important Role in Cardiac Differentiation Scientists investigated the differential expression of the male-specific region of the Y chromosome genes and their X counterparts during cardiac differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. They observed alterations in mRNA and protein levels of TBL1Y, PCDH11Y, ZFY, KDM5D, USP9Y, RPS4Y1, DDX3Y, PRY, XKRY, BCORP1, RBMY, HSFY, and UTY, which accompanied changes in intracellular localization. [J Proteome Res] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Researchers showed that the cell proliferation rate positively correlated with the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 in G1 phase. In addition, as determined by whole genome bisulfate sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography, global DNA methylation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts were significantly higher in G1 phase than in G2/M phase. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article Post-Irradiation Promotes Susceptibility to Reprogramming to Pluripotent State in Human Fibroblasts iPSCs were generated from non-irradiated cells, directly-irradiated cells, or cells subsequently generated after initial radiation exposure. Investigators found that direct irradiation negatively affected iPSC induction in a dose-dependent manner. However, in the post-irradiated group, after five subsequent generations, cells became increasingly sensitive to the induction of reprogramming compared to that in non-irradiated cells as observed by an increased number of Tra1-81-stained colonies as well as enhanced alkaline phosphatase and Oct4 promoter activity. [Cell Cycle] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSThe authors summarize the key advances in the pluripotent stem cell research field that led to derivation of human iPSC lines, different methodologies for derivation iPSC lines and characterization of the mechanism of reprogramming. They also review progress towards generating donor-specific somatic cell lineages from iPSC lines, especially the functional immune cell lineages, and progress towards advancing these findings to the clinic. [Stem Cell Rev] Abstract Researchers discuss the origin and mechanisms responsible for the modification of genetic material in iPSCs (pre-existing variations in somatic cells, mutations induced by reprogramming factors, and mutations induced by culture expansion) and deepen the possible functional consequences of genetic variations in these cells. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSBioTime Awarded Grant from the NIH BioTime, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a grant of up to $1.56 million from the Small Business Innovation Research program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant provides funding to further develop BioTime’s innovative, next generation vision restoration program for more advanced retinal diseases and injuries, which severely impact the quality of life for millions of people with no treatment option. [BioTime, Inc.] Press Release Gene Editing Technology Developer Awarded $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize Feng Zhang, a pioneer of the revolutionary CRISPR gene editing technology, TAL effectors, and optogenics, has been announced as the recipient of the 2017 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, the largest cash prize for invention in the United States. Zhang is a core member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, an investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, James and Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience at MIT, and associate professor in the departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Biological Engineering at MIT. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Press Release Two Key BioTime Patents Providing Protection to OpRegen® Remain Upheld BioTime, Inc. announced the successful conclusion of the challenge to two key patents before the European Patent Office Opposition division. The two European patents (EP2554661 and EP2147094), cover the proprietary directed differentiation methods to produce pluripotent stem cell-derived cell replacement therapies being developed to treat retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. [BioTime, Inc.] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSPublishers Go after Networking Site for Illicit Sharing of Journal Papers A major scientific publishing group is taking aim at a social networking site for allowing researchers to illegally post copies of their journal papers. The International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers in Oxford, U.K., and The Hague, the Netherlands, has written to ResearchGate, a networking website for researchers, to express concerns over its article-sharing practices. [ScienceInsider] Editorial They Got Hundreds of Thousands to Rally. Where Does the March for Science Go from Here? The hundreds of thousands of people who rallied on the National Mall and in cities worldwide for the March for Science came to be noticed. But as two dozen of them met in New York the following month for a debrief, they faced an obvious reality: A grass-roots organization that was quickly formed to plan a singular event was not, at least immediately, equipped for far-reaching and long-term science advocacy. [STAT News] Editorial U.S. House Approves 2018 Spending Bills, but Process Far from Finished The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step toward setting federal science budgets for the 2018 fiscal year. But Congress is still far from the finish line, and final spending levels aren’t likely to be finalized until late this year at the earliest. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW EMBO-EMBL Symposia: Organoids: Modeling Organ Development and Disease in 3D Culture Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Postdoctoral Position – Wound Healing (University of Connecticut Health Center) Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.) Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cell Biology of Tubulogenesis (University of Copenhagen) Research Assistant – Cardiovascular Stem Cells and Regeneration (University of Oxford) Postdoctoral Research Associate – Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine (University of Cambridge) Technical Director – Personalized Stem Cell Banking (Brilliant Research) Faculty Position – Stem Cell Research (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) Director – Stem Cell Research Facility (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) Postdoctoral Position – Islet Biology (Sanofi) Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Research (Tsinghua University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cellular Neuroscience/Stem Cell (UC San Diego) Postdoctoral Position – Mammalian Stem Cell Biology (New York University, School of Medicine) Assistant Professor – Human Anatomy and Cell Science (University Of Manitoba) Assistant Professor – Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (Harvard University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Tissue Engineering (Stanford University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Multiple Areas (University of Oklahoma) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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