ESC & iPSC News Volume 12.33 | Aug 23 2017

TOP STORY

New Technique Overcomes Genetic Cause of Infertility

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found a way to remove the extra sex chromosome to produce fertile offspring. The team took small pieces of ear tissue from XXY and XYY mice, cultured them, and collected connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts. They turned the fibroblasts into stem cells and noticed that in the process, some of the cells lost the extra sex chromosome. [Press release from The Francis Crick Institute discussing online prepublication in Science] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

A lncRNA Fine Tunes the Dynamics of a Cell State Transition Involving Lin28, let-7 and De Novo DNA Methylation

Researchers identified a rodent-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) linc1281, hereafter Ephemeron (Eprn), that modulates the dynamics of exit from naïve pluripotency. Eprn deletion delayed the extinction of ESC identity, an effect associated with perduring Nanog expression. [eLife] Full Article

Zscan4 Inhibits Maintenance DNA Methylation to Facilitate Telomere Elongation in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists showed that Zscan4 facilitates telomere elongation by inducing global DNA demethylation through downregulation of Uhrf1 and Dnmt1, major components of the maintenance DNA methylation machinery. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

JMJD1C Ensures Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Somatic Cell Reprogramming through Controlling MicroRNA Expression

Investigators showed that JmjC-domain-containing protein 1c (JMJD1C), an H3K9 demethylase, is required for mouse embryonic stem cell self-renewal. Depletion of Jmjd1c leads to the activation of ERK/MAPK signaling and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition to induce differentiation of ESCs. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Inhibition of EZH2 Promotes Human Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation into Mesoderm by Reducing H3K27me3

The authors conducted an epigenome-wide analysis of hESCs and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and uncovered that EZH2 was enriched in hESCs and was downregulated significantly in MSCs. The specific EZH2 inhibitor GSK126 directed hESC differentiation toward mesoderm and generated more MSCs by reducing H3K27me3. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Improved Efficacy and In Vivo Cellular Properties of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivative in a Preclinical Model of Bladder Pain Syndrome

Researchers showed greater therapeutic efficacy of human embryonic stem cell-derived multipotent stem cells (M-MSCs) than adult bone-marrow-derived counterparts for treating interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and also monitored long-term safety and in vivo properties of transplanted M-MSCs in living animals. [Sci Rep] Full Article

In Vitro Micropatterned Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Test (µP-hPST) for Morphometric-Based Teratogen Screening

It has been shown that the morphological disruption of mesoendoderm patterns formed by geometrically-confined cell differentiation and migration using hPSCs could potentially serve as a sensitive morphological marker in teratogen detection. Here, a micropatterned human pluripotent stem cell test (µP-hPST) assay was developed using 30 pharmaceutical compounds. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Systematic Gene Tagging Using CRISPR/Cas9 in Human Stem Cells to Illuminate Cell Organization

Scientists present a CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing strategy to systematically tag endogenous proteins with fluorescent tags in human induced pluripotent stem cells. They have generated multiple human iPSC lines with monoallelic GFP tags labeling ten proteins representing major cellular structures. The tagged proteins include alpha tubulin, beta actin, desmoplakin, fibrillarin, nuclear lamin B1, non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIB, paxillin, Sec61 beta, tight junction protein ZO1, and Tom20. [Mol Biol Cell] Full Article

MAPK8 Regulates Chicken Male Germ Cell Differentiation through JNK Signaling Pathway

Investigators analyzed the key signaling pathways in regulating the process of embryonic stem cells differentiation into spermatogonial stem cells. They explored the specific regulating mechanisms of C-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in this process. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

Towards Optimization of Induced Pluripotent Cell Culture: Extracellular Acidification Results in Growth Arrest of iPSC Prior to Nutrient Exhaustion

Researchers demonstrated that iPSCs are highly sensitive to extracellular acidification, a likely limiting factor in maintenance of proliferative and pluripotent status. Culturing iPSCs in a restricted growth area prevented rapid extracellular acidification, while still maintaining pluripotency and allowing longer feeding cycles. [Toxicol In Vitro] Abstract

Epigenetic Regulation of Somatic Cell Reprogramming

During the past ten years, several important progresses have been made in uncovering the molecular mechanisms involved in the reprogramming process, which shed light on improving the reprogramming efficiency and iPSC quality. The authors review the important progresses in the epigenetic regulation including histone and DNA modifications during somatic cell reprogramming. [Curr Opin Genet Dev] Abstract

Concise Review: Fetal Membranes in Regenerative Medicine: New Tricks from an Old Dog?

The authors explore the biological origin of the fetal membranes, a history of their use in medicine, and recent developments in the use of fetal membranes and their derived stem and stem-like cells in regenerative medicine. [Stem Cells Transl Med] Full Article

Pluripotent Stem Cells in Adult Tissues: Struggling to Be Acknowledged Over Two Decades

Scientists review research carried out by various investigators over the last two decades and various attempts to demonstrate their presence in adult tissues. Such adult PSCs could be the ideal stem cell candidates to bring about endogenous regeneration compared to ES/iPS cells grown in Petri dish and also score better over adult stem cells which in fact are tissue committed progenitors with limited regenerative potential that differentiate from the PSCs. [Stem Cell Rev] Abstract

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Neuronal Models for the Study of Autophagy Pathways in Human Neurodegenerative Disease

Researchers discuss the roles and control of autophagy in human stem cells, and how autophagy contributes to neural differentiation in vitro. They also describe how autophagy-monitoring tools can be applied to hiPSC-derived neurons for the study of human neurodegenerative disease in vitro. [Cells] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field.

Asterias Biotherapeutics Opens Additional Clinical Site for AST-OPC1 SCiStar Study

Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced that Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, has been added as a clinical site in the company’s ongoing SCiStar Phase I/IIa clinical trial of AST-OPC1, a stem-cell derived investigational therapy, in patients with severe cervical spinal cord injury. There are now nine clinical sites enrolling patients in the study. [Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

An Eye towards Islets

The National Science Foundation has funded a multi-university study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering who are investigating the use of human pluripotent stem cells to engineer pancreatic islets in the lab. A major goal of the research is to develop a method of vascularizing islets in vitro—literally “in glass”—which studies suggest will result in higher viability and enhanced function after the transplant. [University of Pittsburg] Press Release

A Bold Open-Access Push in Germany Could Change the Future of Academic Publishing

Over the past two years, more than 150 German libraries, universities, and research institutes have formed a united front trying to force academic publishers into a new way of doing business. Instead of buying subscriptions to specific journals, consortium members want to pay publishers an annual lump sum that covers publication costs of all papers whose first authors are at German institutions. Those papers would be freely available around the world; meanwhile, German institutions would receive access to all the publishers’ online content. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NSF Reiterates Policy on Teaching Good Research Habits despite Its Limitations

The National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia, has decided to double down on its implementation of a congressionally mandated policy aimed at reducing research misconduct among NSF-funded scientists, despite a new report that notes problems with the agency’s approach. [Nature News] Editorial

Leaked Documents Expose Long-Standing Gender Tensions at Salk Institute

Senior female faculty at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies raise more than twice as much in National Institutes of Health funding for scientists working in their labs as their male counterparts, according to a 2016 internal report on “faculty issues” requested by leaders of the San Diego, California institution. Yet Salk leaders favored male scientists by granting them greater access to internal funds and other resources, the report implies, echoing gender discrimination lawsuits filed last month against the research center. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW 5^th Annual European Congress on Clinical & Translational Sciences (EUSTM-2017)
October 20-22, 2017
Berlin, Germany

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Islet Biology (Sanofi)

NEW Lead Bioengineer – Parkinson’s Disease Research (Scaled Biolabs Inc.)

NEW Research Associate – Parkinson’s Disease Research (Scaled Biolabs Inc.)

NEW Postdoctoral Scientist – Stem Cell Biology (CRUK Manchester Institute)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Research (None)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cellular Neuroscience/Stem Cell (UC San Diego)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Mammalian Stem Cell Biology (New York University, School of Medicine)

Assistant Professor – Human Anatomy and Cell Science (University Of Manitoba)

Postdoctoral Position – Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (Harvard University)

Post-Doctoral/PhD Position – Stem Cell Biology & Metabolism (University of Freiburg)

Junior Principal Investigator – Molecular Oncology (FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (Harvard University)

Stem Cell Scientist and Postdoctoral Positions – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (National Center for Advancing Translational Science)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Tissue Engineering (Stanford University)

Laboratory Research Technician – Epigenetics of Stem Cells (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Epigenetics of Pluripotent Stem Cells (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Multiple Areas (University of Oklahoma)

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