ESC & iPSC News Volume 10.34 | Sep 9 2015

Transient Bursts of Zscan4 Expression Are Accompanied by the Rapid Derepression of Heterochromatin in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists showed that infrequent bursts of Zscan4 expression involve unexpected transcriptional derepression in heterochromatin regions that usually remain silent. [DNA Res] Full Article

Correction of Down Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome Aneuploidies in Human Cell Cultures
For footprint-free delivery of ZSCAN4 to cells, the authors developed ZSCAN4 synthetic mRNAs and Sendai virus vectors that encode human ZSCAN4. Applying the ZSCAN4 biologics to established cultures of mouse embryonic stem cells, most of which had become aneuploid and polyploid, dramatically increased the number of euploid cells within a few days. [DNA Res] Full Article

Conditionally Stabilized dCas9 Activator for Controlling Gene Expression in Human Cell Reprogramming and Differentiation
Scientists demonstrated that a dCas9 fusion with repeats of VP16 activator domains can efficiently activate human genes involved in pluripotency in various cell types. [Stem Cell Reports]
Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Nos3^-/- iPSCs Model Concordant Signatures of In Utero Cardiac Pathogenesis
Through genome-wide transcriptional comparisons, the authors interrogated the capacity of in vitro differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to accurately model pathogenic signatures of developmental cardiac defects. [J Mol Cell Cardiol] Abstract

Puerarin Suppresses the Self-Renewal of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells by Inhibition of REST-MiR-21 Regulatory Pathway
Investigators determined the effect of puerarin on the self-renewal and pluripotency of murine embryonic stem cells and its underlying mechanisms. [Cell Physiol Biochem] Full Article

Three-Dimensional Poly-(ε-Caprolactone) Nanofibrous Scaffolds Directly Promote the Cardiomyocyte Differentiation of Murine-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells through Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling
The authors fabricated a 3D poly-(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibrous scaffold using the electrospinning method and verified its nanotopography and porous structure by scanning electron microscopy. They seeded murine induced pluripotent stem cells directly on the 3D PCL nanofibrous scaffold and initiated non-directed, spontaneous differentiation using the monolayer method. [BMC Cell Biol] Full Article

PRDM14 Maintains Pluripotency of Embryonic Stem Cells through TET-Mediated Active DNA Demethylation
Scientists showed that pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) was maintained by enforced expression of PRDM14 at a high level, as observed in ESCs in 2i plus leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and developing primordial germ cells in the absence of LIF. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

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Nanocellect and UCSD Team up on Single-Cell Sorting and Analysis
NanoCellect Biomedical began a collaboration with UCSD to develop single cell applications based on their WOLF Cell Sorter. The WOLF Cell Sorter enables easy-to-use cell sorting that avoids the biohazards and shear stress of traditional cell sorters. [NanoCellect Biomedical, Inc.] Press Release

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E.U. Parliament Votes to Ban Cloning of Farm Animals
The European Parliament voted to ban the cloning of all farm animals as well as the sale of cloned livestock, their offspring, and products derived from them. The measure, which passed by a large margin, goes beyond a directive proposed by the European Commission in 2013, which would have implemented a provisional ban on the cloning of just five species: cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and horses. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

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

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Embryonic Stem Cells, Bio-NEMS, and Tissue Engineering (University of South Carolina)

Laboratory Head – Stem Cell Biology (RIKEN)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Development and Pathogenesis of Pancreatic Cancer (University College London)

Postdoctoral Fellow – (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

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

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

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biophysics (University Paris Diderot)

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