ESC & iPSC News Volume 13.02 | Jan 17 2018

TOP STORY

Genome Architecture’s Surprising Role in Cell Fate Decisions

Scientists showed that the three-dimensional organization of the genome plays a key role in gene expression and consequently in determining cell fate. [Press release from the Centre for Genomic Regulation discussing online prepublication in Nature Genetics] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

A Non-Canonical BCOR-PRC1.1 Complex Represses Differentiation Programs in Human ESCs

Researchers showed that the BCL6 co-repressor (BCOR), a member of the PRC1.1 complex, is critical for maintaining primed pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Deriving Dorsal Spinal Sensory Interneurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

The authors report on the development of a directed differentiation protocol to derive sensory interneurons for both human ESCs and human iPSCs. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Press Release

Wnt Inhibition Promotes Vascular Specification of Embryonic Cardiac Progenitors

Using transgenic mice and human PSCs, investigators tracked endothelial cells (ECs) that originated from cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) expressing NKX2.5. Analysis of EC-fated CPCs at discrete phenotypic milestones during human PSC differentiation identified reduced Wnt activity as a hallmark of EC specification, and the enforced activation or inhibition of Wnt reduced or increased, respectively, the degree of vascular commitment within the CPC population during both human PSC differentiation and mouse embryogenesis. [Development] Full Article

ERBB3-Binding Protein (EBP1) Is a Novel DPPA4 Cofactor in Human Pluripotent Cells

Investigators used a proteomics screening approach of human embryonic stem cell nuclear extract to determine Developmental Pluripotency-Associated-4 (DPPA4) molecular functions through identification of novel cofactors. The signaling molecule EBP1 was the strongest candidate binding partner for DPPA4 in human ESC. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Retinoic Acid Promotes Stem Cell Differentiation and Embryonic Development by Transcriptionally Activating CFTR

Scientists showed that retinoic acid transcriptionally upregulates cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (Cftr) by promoting the direct binding of its receptor RARα to Cftr promoter in mouse spermatogonia and embryonic stem cells. [Biochim Biophys Acta] Abstract

Long-Term Maintenance of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells on cRGDfK-Presenting Synthetic Surfaces

Synthetic surfaces for human PSC culture in E8 medium were produced for screening by modifying two polymer brush coatings to present single peptides. Adhesion of human PSC colonies was more consistently observed on surfaces modified with cRGDfK compared to surfaces modified with other peptide sequences tested. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Allele-Specific Repression of Sox2 through the Long Non-Coding RNA Sox2ot

Researchers showed that the RNA levels of Sox2ot and Sox2 are inversely correlated during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Through allele-specific enhanced transcription of Sox2ot in mouse Sox2eGFP knockin ESCs they demonstrated that increased Sox2ot transcriptional activity reduces Sox2 RNA levels in an allele-specific manner. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Tfcp2l1 Safeguards the Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

The authors investigated the functions of Tfcp2l1 in controlling human ESC activity and showed that Tfcp2l1 is functionally important in the maintenance of human ESC identity. Tfcp2l1 expression was highly enriched in human ESCs and dramatically decreased upon differentiation. [J Cell Physiol] Abstract

Murine Pluripotent Stem Cells that Escape Differentiation Inside Teratomas Maintain Pluripotency

Investigators utilized PSCs expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of the Pou5f1 promoter to study the persistence of potential pluripotent cells during teratoma formation in vivo. [PeerJ] Abstract

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Male Infertility: An Overview of Current Progress and Perspectives

The authors summarize the current advances in derivation of male germ cells from human iPSCs and raise the perspectives of human iPSCs in medical application for male infertility, as well as in basic research for male germ cell development. [Hum Reprod] Full Article

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Ferring and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Collaborate to Advance Research in Reproductive Medicine

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced a long-term collaboration to advance basic and translational research in reproductive medicine through the development of novel product candidates and therapeutic strategies. [Ferring B.V.] Press Release

NYSCF Announces Expansion Of Scientific Leadership Team

Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), announced that three top scientific and business professionals recently joined NYSCF, bolstering its leadership team. [The New York Stem Cell Foundation] Press Release

Make Replication Studies ‘A Normal and Essential Part of Science,’ Dutch Science Academy Says

Scientists, universities, funding agencies, and journals alike should be doing much more to ensure the reproducibility of scientific research, according to a new report released by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

South Korean Universities Reach Agreement with Elsevier after Long Standoff

After a months-long standoff, a consortium of hundreds of South Korean universities has reached a new deal with scientific publisher Elsevier for access to ScienceDirect, a database containing content from 3,500 academic journals and thousands of electronic books. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Pluripotent Stem Cell Training
April 25-27, 2018
Cambridge, United Kingdom

NEW Weinstein 2018: Cardiovascular Development and Regeneration Conference
May 16-18, 2018
Nara, Japan

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

NEW Postdoctoral Fellowship – Neurodegeneration (Lund University)

Postdoctoral Position – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Cell Therapy (University of Copenhagen)

Research Scientist – Stem Cell Research (Evotec AG)

Postdoctoral Position – Bioinformatics and Computational Biology of Stem Cells & Cancer (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cell Biology of Tubulogenesis and Cell Differentiation (University of Copenhagen)

Postdoctoral Research Fellows – Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (The University of Queensland)

Postdoctoral Position – Regenerative Medicine (University of Pennsylvania)

Investigator – Stem Cell (Blood Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Position – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (International Society for Stem Cell Research)

PhD Studentship – Patient Specific iPSCs for Studying Leukemia (Institute for Biomedical Engineering)

Postdoctral Fellow – Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (Boston University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Positions – Translational iPS Cell Research, Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation (NIH NCATS)

Postdoctoral Position – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Cell Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes (University of Copenhagen)

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