ESC & iPSC News Volume 11.04 | Feb 3 2016

RS-1 Enhances CRISPR/Cas9- and TALEN-Mediated Knock-in Efficiency
Investigators hypothesized that inhibiting non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or enhancing homology-directed repair (HDR) will improve nuclease-mediated knock-in efficiency. They showed that the in vitro application of an HDR enhancer, RS-1, increases the knock-in efficiency by two- to five-fold at different loci, whereas NHEJ inhibitor SCR7 has minimal effects. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Maternal LSD1/KDM1A Is an Essential Regulator of Chromatin and Transcription Landscapes during Zygotic Genome Activation
Investigators explored the function of the oocyte-inherited pool of a histone H3K4 and K9 demethylase, LSD1/KDM1A during early mouse development. KDM1A deficiency resulted in developmental arrest by the two-cell stage, accompanied by dramatic and stepwise alterations in H3K9 and H3K4 methylation patterns. [eLife] Abstract | Full Article

Hierarchical Oct4 Binding in Concert with Primed Epigenetic Rearrangements during Somatic Cell Reprogramming
The authors profiled Oct4 occupancy, epigenetic changes, and gene expression in reprogramming. They found that Oct4 binds in a hierarchical manner to target sites with primed epigenetic modifications. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Nac1 Coordinates a Sub-network of Pluripotency Factors to Regulate Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation
Scientists used integrative methods to show that external signals induce reorganization of the mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency network and that a sub-network of four factors, Nac1, Oct4, Tcf3, and Sox2, regulates their differentiation into the alternative mesendodermal and neuroectodermal fates. [Cell Rep]
Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Characterization of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Microvesicle Genesis, Morphology and Pluripotent Content
Investigators characterized induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) microvesicles (MV) genesis, content and fusion to retinal progenitor cells in vitro. They demonstrated that the mRNA and protein cargo in iPSC MVs have established roles in maintenance of pluripotency. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Generating Trunk Neural Crest from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Researchers demonstrated that current protocols to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells to neural crest cells (NCCs) are biased toward cranial NCC. [Sci Rep] Full Article

miR-302 Regulates Pluripotency, Teratoma Formation and Differentiation in Stem Cells via an AKT1/OCT4-Dependent Manner
Scientists determined that the downregulation of miR-302 suppresses teratoma formation, hampers self-renewal and pluripotency, and promotes human pluripotent stem cell differentiation. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Escape Mutations, Ganciclovir Resistance, and Teratoma Formation in Human iPSCs Expressing an HSVtk Suicide Gene
Investigators engineered a lentivirally encoded herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) with expression restricted to undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells through regulation by the let7 family of miRNAs. They showed that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expressing a let7-regulated HSVtk transgene are selectively killed by ganciclovir (GCV), whereas differentiated cells are fully protected. [Mol Ther Nucleic Acids] Full Article

Transplantation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Carried by Self-Assembling Peptide Nanofiber Hydrogel Improves Bone Regeneration in Rat Calvarial Bone Defects
Researchers investigated in vivo bone regeneration from transplanted induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Transplanted iPSCs encapsulated in a nanofiber scaffold regenerated bone in critical-sized defects. [BDJ Open] Full Article

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Regenerative Medicine Awards Lay Groundwork for Therapies of Tomorrow
Two collaborative teams are the winners of the Audrey E. Streedain Regenerative Medicine Initiative Awards. Totaling $140,000 each, the awards support USC-affiliated faculty members pursuing multi-investigator research collaborations with the goal of curing diseases using stem cells as tools. [University of Southern California] Press Release

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White House Wants $1 Billion for Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot. Where Will It Come From?
The White House’s announcement that it wants to spend $1 billion to jump-start Vice President Joe Biden’s cancer moonshot is music to the ears of cancer researchers. Unclear, however, is how much existing money will be reshuffled at the National Institutes of Health to support this year’s moonshot activities, and whether Congress will agree to new funding that the White House has proposed for 2017. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

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NEW Research Associate – ES Cell Biology Team (Kymab Ltd)

Postdoctoral Position – Genetics and Genomics of Stem Cells (Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Bioinformatics and Stem Cell Biology (University of Texas)

Postdoctoral Candidate – Embryonic Stem Cells and Chromatin Biology (University of Michigan)

Development Engineer/Scientist – Regenerative Medicine (Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell and Developmental Biology (The Francis Crick Institute)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (University of Cambridge)

Science Content Writer (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

Scientist – Cell Biology (Semma Therapeutics)

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