ESC & iPSC News Volume 10.32 | Aug 26 2015

Functional Gene Correction for Cystic Fibrosis in Lung Epithelial Cells Generated from Patient iPSCs
Investigators generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from cystic fibrosis patients carrying a homozygous deletion of F508 in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene (CFTR), which resulted in defective processing of CFTR to the cell membrane. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Ube2s Regulates Sox2 Stability and Mouse ES Cell Maintenance
Scientists identified ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2S (Ube2s) as a novel effector for Sox2 protein degradation. Ube2s mediated K11-linked polyubiquitin chain formation at the Sox2-K123 residue, thus marking it for proteasome-mediated degradation. [Cell Death Differ] Abstract

Bcl3 Bridges LIF-STAT3 to Oct4 Signaling in the Maintenance of Naïve Pluripotency
Scientists verified B cell leukemia/lymphoma 3 (Bcl3) as the most significantly downregulated factor following leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) withdrawal in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Bcl3 knockdown altered mESC morphology, reduced expression of pluripotency genes including Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog, and downregulated DNA binding of acetylated histone 3 and RNA polymerase II on the Oct4 promoter. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Heterogeneous Lineage Marker Expression in Naive Embryonic Stem Cells Is Mostly Due to Spontaneous Differentiation
Researchers showed the transcriptome of Nanog-negative cells exhibited expression of classes of genes associated with differentiation that are not yet active in cells exposed to differentiation conditions for one day. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Glycosyltransferase ST6GAL1 Contributes to the Regulation of Pluripotency in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Investigators observed that the sialyltransferase ST6GAL1 was preferentially expressed in undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells compared to non-pluripotent cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Reprogramming Roadblocks Are System Dependent
Scientists demonstrated that reprogramming triggered by less efficient polycistronic reprogramming cassettes not only highlights mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) as a roadblock but also faces more severe difficulties to attain a pluripotent state even post-MET. [Stem Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Nucleosome Organization in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Researchers revealed that the genome is a determinant of nucleosome organization with transcriptionally inactive regions characterized by a “ground state” of nucleosome profiles driven by underlying DNA sequences. [PLoS One] Full Article

Uniparental Disomy of the Entire X Chromosome in Turner Syndrome Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientists generated induced pluripotent stem cells from four 45,X chorionic villous fibroblast lines and found that only one reprogrammed line acquired 46,XX karyotype via uniparental disomy of the entire X chromosome. [Cell Disc] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field.

$52M NIH Grant Advances Clinical and Translational Research at UC San Diego
The Clinical and Translational Research Institute at University of California, San Diego has received a five-year Clinical and Translational Science Award for approximately $52 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). [UC San Diego Health] Press Release

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Faked Peer Reviews Prompt 64 Retractions
A leading scientific publisher has retracted 64 articles in ten journals, after an internal investigation discovered fabricated peer-review reports linked to the articles’ publication. Berlin-based Springer announced the retractions in a statement. [Nature News] Editorial

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

Postdoctoral Fellow – (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Senior Research Technician – Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Qu Biologics)

Advanced Research Assistant – Gene Targeting (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)

Head of Research – Cellular Operations (Welcome Trust Sanger Institute)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Epigenetics (Institute of Molecular Biology Mainz)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biophysics (University Paris Diderot)

MICA Stem Cell Scientist (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency)

Stem Cell Scientist (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency)

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