ESC & iPSC News Volume 10.20 | May 27 2015

PI3K/mTORC2 Regulates TGF-β/Activin Signaling by Modulating Smad2/3 Activity via Linker Phosphorylation
Investigators report that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling antagonizes the Activin-induced definitive endoderm differentiation of human embryonic stem cells by attenuating the duration of Smad2/3 activation via the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2). [Nat Commun] Full Article

Significant Expansion of the REST/NRSF Cistrome in Human versus Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells: Potential Implications for Neural Development
Scientists identified twice as many repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST) peaks in human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) compared to mouse ESCs. Human REST cistrome expansion involves additional peaks in genes targeted by REST in both species and human-specific gene targets. [Nucleic Acids Res] Full Article

A Modular Open Platform for Systematic Functional Studies under Physiological Conditions
Scientists generated multifunctional integrase-tagged embryonic stem cell lines and created a toolbox of prefabricated modules that can be integrated via Bxb1-mediated recombination. They used these functional modules to study protein interactions and their spatio-temporal dynamics as well as gene expression and specific mutations during cellular differentiation. [Nucleic Acids Res] Full Article

Rescue of DNA-PK Signaling and T-Cell Differentiation by Targeted Genome Editing in a prkdc Deficient iPSC Disease Model
In vitro T-cell differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells was employed to model the stage-specific T-cell maturation block induced by the disease causing mutation. [PLoS Genet] Full Article

Generation of Sensory Hair Cells by Genetic Programming with a Combination of Transcription Factors
Researchers showed that combined expression of the transcription factors Gfi1, Pou4f3 and Atoh1 can induce direct programming towards mechanosensory hair cells fate, both during in vitro mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation and following ectopic expression in chick embryonic otic epithelium. [Development] Abstract

A Bmp Reporter Transgene Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Model as a Tool to Identify and Characterize Chemical Teratogens
Scientists described the use of a bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp)-reporter embryonic stem cell line, isolated from a well-characterized transgenic mouse line, as a new tool for the identification of chemical teratogens. [Toxicol Sci] Abstract

Differential Nucleosome Occupancies across Oct4-Sox2 Binding Sites in Murine Embryonic Stem Cells
Using a solution hybridization enrichment technique, researchers generated a high-resolution nucleosome map from targeted regions of the genome containing predicted sites and functional sites of Oct4/Sox2 regulation. [PLoS One] Full Article

Limited Hair Cell Induction from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Simple Stepwise Method
The authors examined the efficacy of a simple induction method for inducing the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into hair cells. The induction of inner ear hair cell-like cells was performed using a stepwise method mimicking inner ear development. [Neurosci Lett] Abstract

Transcriptome Signature and Regulation in Human Somatic Cell Reprogramming
The authors found that transcriptome changes during early reprogramming occur independently from the opening of closed chromatin by OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and MYC. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

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BMO Announces $1 Million Donation to Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research
BMO Financial Group today announced a $1 million donation to support ongoing stem cell and regenerative medicine research in Canada. [BMO] Press Release

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Scientist Registry Unveils Plan to Recognize Efforts of Peer-Reviewers
A service developed to track the work of researchers will soon be extended to include records of peer review. More than 1.2 million people have signed up to use ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID), a registry or ‘science passport’ that allocates users a unique 16-digit identifier and webpage that they can use to record their publications and grants. [Nature News] Editorial

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NEW Cell Biology Specialist (California Institute of Technology)

NEW Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer, Stem Cell, and Developmental Biology (Columbia University Medical Center)

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

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions – iPSC Research and Banking (University of Magna Graecia)

Postdoctoral Researcher- Systems Biology of X-Inactivation (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics)

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

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