Primary Cilium-Autophagy-Nrf2 (PAN) Axis Activation Commits Human Embryonic Stem Cells to a Neuroectoderm Fate Investigators identified a primary cilium-autophagy-Nrf2 control axis coupled to cell-cycle progression that directs human embryonic stem cells toward neuroectoderm. [Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release Heterogeneity in Oct4 and Sox2 Targets Biases Cell Fate in 4-Cell Mouse Embryos Researchers characterized transcriptomes of all individual cells throughout mouse pre-implantation development. This identified targets of master pluripotency regulators Oct4 and Sox2 as being highly heterogeneously expressed between blastomeres of the four-cell embryo, with Sox21 showing one of the most heterogeneous expression profiles. [Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract | Press Release Modeling Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveals a Causal Role for Wnt/β-Catenin Defects in Neuronal Cholesterol Synthesis Phenotypes Using induced pluripotent stem cells from subjects with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS), scientists identified cellular defects that lead to precocious neuronal specification within SLOS derived neural progenitors. They also demonstrated that 7-dehydrocholesterol accumulation, not cholesterol deficiency, is critical for SLOS-associated defects. [Nat Med] Abstract Essential Role of the TFIID Subunit TAF4 in Murine Embryogenesis and Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Researchers inactivated the murine Taf4a gene to address Taf4 function during embryogenesis. They showed that Taf4a−/− embryos survive until E9.5 where primary germ layers and many embryonic structures are identified showing Taf4 is dispensable for their specification. [Nat Commun] Full Article Loss of MAX Results in Meiotic Entry in Mouse Embryonic and Germline Stem Cells The authors demonstrated that knockdown of Max expression, a gene encoding a partner of MYC family proteins, strongly activates expression of germ cell-related genes in ESCs. [Nat Commun] Full Article G9a/GLP Complex Maintains Imprinted DNA Methylation in Embryonic Stem Cells Scientists showed that the histone H3 lysine 9 methylases G9a and GLP are required for stable maintenance of imprinted DNA methylation in embryonic stem cells; however, their catalytic activity and the G9a/GLP-dependent H3K9me2 mark are completely dispensable for imprinting maintenance despite the genome-wide loss of non-imprinted DNA methylation in H3K9me2-depleted cells. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract Impaired ROS Scavenging System in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated from Patients with MERRF Syndrome Investigators generated human induced pluripotent stem cells that carry the A8344G genetic mutation from patients with myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibers syndrome (MERRF). [Sci Rep] Full Article Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase-1 Upregulation by O-GlcNAcylation of Sp1 Protects against Hypoxia-Induced Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Apoptosis via mTOR Activation Researchers investigated the role of O-GlcNAcylation via glucosamine in the protection of hypoxia-induced apoptosis of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Hypoxia increased mESCs apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article |