ESC & iPSC News Volume 10.00 | Jan 7 2015

MSCs Derived from iPSCs with a Modified Protocol Are Tumor-Tropic but Have Much Less Potential to Promote Tumors than Bone Marrow MSCs
Researchers derived mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) from transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) efficiently with a modified protocol that eliminated the need of flow cytometric sorting. These iPSC-derived MSCs homed to cancers with efficiencies similar to bone marrow (BM)-MSCs but were much less prone than BM-MSCs to promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, stemness, and growth of cancer cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

3D Imaging of Sox2 Enhancer Clusters in Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists combined lattice light-sheet imaging, single-molecule tracking, numerical simulations, and ChIP-exo mapping to localize and functionally probe Sox2 enhancer-organization in living embryonic stem cells. [eLife] Full Article

Signaling through Retinoic Acid Receptors Is Required for Reprogramming of Both MEFs and EpiSCs to iPSCs
Investigators explored the role of retinoic acid in reprogramming and report that the six factors efficiently and directly reprogram mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (MEFs) into integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in defined medium in the absence of feeder cells. [Stem Cells] Abstract | Full Article

Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling Can Substitute for Oct4 in Reprogramming and Maintain Pluripotency
Scientists show that inhibiting TGF-β signaling with its inhibitor, SB431542, can substitute for Oct4 during reprogramming. Moreover, inhibiting TGF-β signaling can sustain the pluripotency of induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells through modulating FGF/MEK/ERK signaling. [J Biol Chem]
Abstract | Full Article

An Alternative Retinoic Acid Responsive Stra6 Promoter Regulated in Response to Retinol Deficiency
Researchers show that in embryonic stem (ES) cells and in some tissues the Stra6 gene encodes two distinct mRNAs transcribed from two different promoters. While both are all-trans retinoic acid (RA) responsive in ES cells, the downstream promoter contains a half-site RA response element and drives an approximately 13-fold, RA-associated increase in luciferase reporter activity. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Hepatic Regenerative Potential of Mouse Bone Marrow Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells
The authors report the whole genome gene expression profile of very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) and embryonic stem (ES) cells. They analyzed the global gene expression of VSELs and compared it with ES cells by microarray analysis. [J Cell Physiol] Abstract

Electrospun Biomaterial Scaffolds with Varied Topographies for Neuronal Differentiation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientists investigated the effect of micro and nanoscale scaffold topography on promoting neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and directing the resulting neuronal outgrowth in an organized manner. [J Biomed Mater Res A] Abstract

Restoration of Progranulin Expression Rescues Cortical Neuron Generation in an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Frontotemporal Dementia
To understand how haploinsufficiency of progranulin causes frontotemporal dementia, researchers created induced pluripotent stem cells from patients carrying the GRN^{IVS1+5G > C} mutation. [Stem Cell Reports]
Full Article | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

Successful Reprogramming of Epiblast Stem Cells by Blocking Nuclear Localization of β-Catenin
Investigators describe dramatic improvement of conversion efficiency from primed to naive-like pluripotent stem cells through upregulation of E-cadherin in the presence of the cytokine LIF. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Stem Cell Reprogramming: Basic Implications and Future Perspective for Movement Disorders
Researchers introduce reprogramming strategies and explain the critical steps in the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to clinical relevant subtypes of cells in the context of movement disorders. [Mov Disord] Abstract

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Reprogramming Liver Cells into Pancreas Cells
Diabetes researcher Dr. Francesca Spagnoli has been awarded an extra research grant from the European Research Council. After having identified a factor that converts murine liver cells into pancreas cells, she wants to investigate whether human liver cells can also be reprogrammed into insulin-producing cells. [Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch] Press Release

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India’s Major Science Funders Join Open-Access Push
Two of India’s major science funding agencies are joining the push to make the results of the research they fund freely available to the public. India’s Ministry of Science & Technology announced it will require researchers who receive even just part of their funding from its biotechnology and science and technology departments to deposit copies of their papers in publicly accessible depositories. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

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NEW Research Technician – Skeletal Muscle Disorders with Human iPS Cells (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Pluripotent Stem Cells and Cartilage Biology (Boston Children’s Hospital)

NEW PhD Studentship – Deciphering Mechanisms Underlying the Dysfunction of Motoneurons Derived from ALS Patient iPSCs (University of St. Andrews)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Stem Cell Models of Autism (University of South Carolina)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology and Reprogramming (Baylor College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow and Technician – Regenerative Medicine Using iPSC, Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Postdoctoral Position – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology and Cancer Research (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)

Scientist – Reprogramming and Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Immunology/Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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