ESC & iPSC News Volume 11.14 | Apr 13 2016

A Programmable Synthetic Lineage-Control Network that Differentiates Human IPSCs into Glucose-Sensitive Insulin-Secreting Beta-Like Cells
Researchers designed a synthetic lineage-control network combining vanillic acid-triggered mutually exclusive expression switches for the transcription factors Ngn3 (neurogenin 3) and Pdx1 (pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1) with the concomitant induction of MafA (V-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homologue A). [Nat Commun] Full Article

Large-Scale Production of Megakaryocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells by Chemically Defined Forward Programming
The authors described an original approach for the large-scale generation of megakaryocytes in chemically defined conditions using a forward programming strategy relying on the concurrent exogenous expression of three transcription factors: GATA1, FLI1 and TAL1. [Nat Commun] Full Article

PDGF-AB and 5-Azacytidine Induce Conversion of Somatic Cells into Tissue-Regenerative Multipotent Stem Cells
The authors report that transient treatment with 5-Azacytidine in combination with platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) converts primary somatic cells into tissue-regenerative multipotent stem cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release

Enhanced CLIP Uncovers IMP Protein-RNA Targets in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Important for Cell Adhesion and Survival
Using enhanced UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (eCLIP), scientists identified RNA targets of the IMP/IGF2BP family of RNA-binding proteins in human pluripotent stem cells. [Cell Rep]
Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Mutational History of a Human Cell Lineage from Somatic to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
By sequencing the genomes of polyclonal and monoclonal somatic cells and derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) researchers have determined the mutation rates and showed how the patterns change from a somatic lineage in vivo through to iPSCs. [PLoS Genet] Full Article

Generation of Hprt-Disrupted Rat through Mouse←Rat ES Chimeras
Researchers disrupted rat hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) gene in embryonic stem (ES) cells and produced a Hprt-disrupted rat line using the mouse←rat ES chimera system. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Derived Neuroprogenitors Display Differential Degrees of Susceptibility to BH3 Mimetics ABT-263, WEHI-539 and ABT-199
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are hypersensitive to genotoxic stress and display lower survival ability relative to their differentiated progeny. Scientists investigatef the source of this difference by comparing the DNA damage responses triggered by the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin, in hESCs, human induced pluripotent stem cells and hESCs-derived neuroprogenitors. [PLoS One] Full Article

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New $3.045 Million CIRM Grant Will Support Student Training in Theory and Techniques of Stem Cell Research
Undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and master’s students in the California State University, Long Beach biotechnology program will be trained in the theory and techniques of stem cell research thanks to a new grant. The training, which prepares students to enter the California workforce with long-term career opportunities as stem cell researchers, will be supported by a $3.045 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). [California State University Long Beach] Press Release

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Second Chinese Team Reports Gene Editing in Human Embryos
Researchers in China have reported editing the genes of human embryos to try to make them resistant to HIV infection. Their paper — which used CRISPR-editing tools in non-viable embryos that were destroyed after three days — is only the second published claim of gene editing in human embryos. [Nature News] Editorial

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Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Research (Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Stem Cell Biology Regenerative Medicine Institute (NUI Galway)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Stem Cell Biology/Bioinformatics (TU Darmstadt)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Chromatin Biology (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Position – Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neural Repair (University of Nebraksa Medical Center)

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