ESC & iPSC News Volume 10.18 | May 13 2015

Inducible Gata1 Suppression Expands Megakaryocyte-Erythroid Progenitors from Embryonic Stem Cells
Researchers engineered embryonic stem cells from WT mice to express a doxycycline(dox)-regulated shRNA that targets Gata1 transcripts for degradation. Differentiation of these cells in the presence of dox and thrombopoietin resulted in an exponential expansion of immature hematopoietic progenitors. [J Clin Invest] Full Article

Reinforcement of STAT3 Activity Reprograms Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Naive-Like Pluripotency
Investigators showed that the forced expression of the hormone-dependent STAT3-ER (ER, ligand-binding domain of the human estrogen receptor) in combination with 2i/leukemia inhibitory factor and tamoxifen allowed human pluripotent stem cells to escape from the primed state and enter a state characterized by the activation of STAT3 target genes and long-term self-renewal in fibroblast growth factor 2- and feeder-free conditions. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Sox2 Deacetylation by Sirt1 Is Involved in Mouse Somatic Reprogramming
The authors found that a low level of Sox2 acetylation could significantly increase reprogramming efficiency. Furthermore, they found that Sox2 can be deacetylated by Sirt1 in an Oct4-mediated manner. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Neuronal Developmental Gene and miRNA Signatures Induced by Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists identified potential developmental toxicity mechanisms of the histone deacetylase inhibitors valproic acid, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid and trichostatin A relevant to the in vivo condition using a human embryonic stem cell model in combination with specific differentiation protocols and genome-wide gene expression and microRNA profiling. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Derivation and Characterization of Human Embryonic Stem Cells on Human Amnion Epithelial Cells
Inner cell masses were isolated from frozen embryos obtained as donations from couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment and four new human embryonic stem cell lines were derived using human amnion epithelial cells as feeder cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Chromosome Microduplication in Somatic Cells Decreases the Genetic Stability of Human Reprogrammed Somatic Cells and Results in Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientists explored chromosome microdeletion/duplication in arrested and established reprogrammed cells. Their results showed that aneuploidy induced by somatic cell nuclear transfer technology is a key factor in the developmental failure of cloned human embryos and primary colonies from implanted cloned blastocysts and that expression patterns of apoptosis-related genes are dynamically altered. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Chromatin Mediated Reversible Silencing of Sense-Antisense Gene Pairs in ESCs Is Consolidated Upon Differentiation
Researchers utilized an EGFP reporter plasmid cis-linked to a doxycycline inducible antisense promoter, generating antisense transcription that fully overlaps EGFP, to study the mechanism and dynamics of gene silencing after induction of non-coding antisense transcription, in undifferentiated and differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). [Mol Cell Biol] Abstract

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Targets for Allogeneic and Autologous Natural Killer (NK) Cells and Killing Is Partly Mediated by the Activating NK Receptor DNAM-1
The authors analyzed the susceptibility of human induced pluripotent stem cell lines to allogeneic and autologous NK cells. IL-2-activated, in contrast to resting NK cells killed hiPSC lines efficiently. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Nikon and Lonza Form Collaboration for Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing in Japan
Lonza and Nikon Corporation announced an exclusive collaboration in the field of cell and gene therapy manufacturing in Japan. Nikon will have access to Lonza’s quality and operating systems, facility design and ongoing consulting services for the establishment of a wholly owned Nikon cell and gene therapy contract manufacturing business. [Lonza Group Ltd.] Press Release

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What the UK Election Results Mean for Science
From an outright majority in Parliament for the Conservatives, to the decimation of the Liberal Democrats and the extraordinary rise of the Scottish National Party, the United Kingdom’s election on May 7 was full of surprises — many of which will have implications for science. [Nature News] Editorial

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

Postdoctoral Position – Cell Replacement Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center )

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Stem Cell Disease Modeling (Nanyang Technological University)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology, Epigenetics & Cancer (Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Epithelial Stem Cells & Membrane Trafficking (New York University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Stem Cells & Epigenetics (National Institutes of Health)

Stem Cell Culture Scientist (Paramount Recruitment)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Stem Cells & Epigenetics (National Institutes of Health)

Postdoctoral Position – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Study Metabolism and Gene Expression Regulating Neural Tube Development (Joslin Diabetes Center)

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