ESC & iPSC News Volume 11.06 | Feb 17 2016

Embryonic Stem Cells Cultured in Microfluidic Chambers Take Control of Their Fate by Producing Endogenous Signals Including LIF
Scientists describe the behavior of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) inside microfluidic chambers (microchambers) operated under conditions of minimal perfusion. mESCs inside microchambers formed colonies and expressed markers of pluripotency in the absence of feeders or pluripotency-inducing signals such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), while mESCs in standard cultureware differentiated rapidly. [Stem Cells] Abstract

EIF2S3Y Suppresses the Pluripotency State and Promotes the Proliferation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Investigators utilized embryonic stem (ES)-derived Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2, subunit 3, and structural gene Y-linked (EIF2S3Y)-overexpressing cells and found that EIF2S3Y down-regulated the pluripotency state of ES cells, which might be explained by decreased histone methylation levels because of reduced levels of ten-eleven translocation 1. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Chicken Embryonic Stem Cells and Primordial Germ Cells Display Different Heterochromatic Histone Marks than Their Mammalian Counterparts
Researchers compared the abundance and nuclear distribution of the main histone post-translational modifications, 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in chicken embryonic stem cells (ESCs), primordial germ cells and blastodermal cells with differentiated chicken ESCs and embryonic fibroblasts. [Epigenetics Chromatin] Full Article

Protein Regulation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by Transplanting in a Huntington’s Animal Model
Investigators aimed to determine the functional recovery and protein regulation by transplanted induced pluripotent stem cells in a rat model of Huntington’s disease. At eight weeks after induced pluripotent stem cell transplantation, motor function was improved in comparison with the quinolinic acid-treated rats. [Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol] Abstract

Robust Method for TALEN-Edited Correction of pF508del in Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientists present an efficient method for seamless correction of pF508del mutation in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells by gene edited homologous recombination. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Nitric Oxide Prevents Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation through Regulation of Gene Expression, Cell Signaling and Control of Cell Proliferation
Researchers sought to demonstrate that nitric oxide positively regulates the pluripotency transcriptional core, enforcing changes in the chromatin structure, in addition to regulating cell proliferation and signaling pathways with key roles in stemness. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

Modeling Xeroderma Pigmentosum Associated Neurological Pathologies with Patients-Derived iPSCs
Investigators generated patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) harboring mutations in five different xeroderma pigmentosum genes including XPA, XPB, XPC, XPG, and XPV. [Protein Cell]
Abstract | Full Article

Pleurotus eryngii Polysaccharide Promotes Pluripotent Reprogramming via Facilitating Epigenetic Modification
Cationized P. eryngii polysaccharide, hybridized with calcium phosphate (CP), was used to codeliver plasmids for generating induced pluripotent stem cells. The results revealed that the hybrid nanoparticles could significantly enhance the process and efficiency of reprogramming compared with the CP nanoparticles. [J Agric Food Chem] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

A Review of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell, Direct Conversion by Trans-Differentiation, Direct Reprogramming and Oligodendrocyte Differentiation
The authors describe in detail on three widely used approaches of somatic cell reprogramming: induced pluripotent stem cells, direct conversion and direct reprogramming, in the context of demyelination in the CNS. [Regen Med] Abstract

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CSU Channel Islands Receives More than $3 Million to Cultivate the Next Generation of Stem Cell Scientists
CSU Channel Islands graduate students interested in the field of stem cell research will get a chance to do a year’s internship at a top flight stem cell research center such as Cedars-Sinai, Stanford University, City of Hope, Scripps Research Institute or Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. [California State University Channel Islands] Press Release

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Biologists Urged to Hug a Preprint
Physicists do it; computer scientists, mathematicians and economists do it. A who’s who of biomedical researchers and publishers is asking what it will take to convince life scientists to do it, too — release their work online before peer review and formal journal publication. The impetus for the gathering, called ASAPbio, is the growing frustration of some researchers at the slow pace of publishing in biology journals. [Nature News] Editorial

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NEW Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology and Leukemogenesis (Fundação Hemocentro de Ribeirão Preto)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Gene Expression Control (University of Birmingham)

Postdoctoral Positions – Immunology, Cancer, and Stem Cells (University of Connecticut)

PhD Position – Developmental Epigenetics (Institute of Molecular Biology)

Postdoctoral Positions – Human Stem Cells (University of Pittsburgh)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Transcription and Epigenetics (Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics)

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)

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