ESC & iPSC News Volume 13.07 | Feb 21 2018

TOP STORY

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Could Serve as Cancer Vaccine

Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, are a keystone of regenerative medicine. Outside the body, they can be coaxed to become many different types of cells and tissues that can help repair damage due to trauma or disease. Now, a study in mice suggests another use for iPS cells: training the immune system to attack or even prevent tumors. [Press release from Stanford Medicine discussing online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell] Press Release | Full Article | Editorial | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Pold3 Is Required for Genomic Stability and Telomere Integrity in Embryonic Stem Cells and Meiosis

Researchers showed that Pold3 plays important roles in double strand break repair, telomere maintenance and genomic stability of both ESCs and spermatocytes in mice. By attempting to generate Pold3 deficient mice using CRISPR/Cas9 or transcription activator-like effector nucleases, they showed that complete loss of Pold3 resulted in early embryonic lethality at E6.5. [Nucleic Acids Res] Full Article

A Roadmap for Human Liver Differentiation from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists applied principles learned from developmental biology to rapidly reconstitute liver progenitors from human PSCs. Mapping the formation of multiple endodermal lineages revealed how alternate endodermal fates (e.g., pancreas and intestines) are restricted during liver commitment. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

RAS Regulates the Transition from Naive to Primed Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers report that the activity of RAS was repressed in the naive state of mouse ESCs and that all three RAS isoforms were significantly activated upon early differentiation induced by LIF withdrawal, embryoid body formation, or transition to the primed state. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

An Ultraconserved Element Containing lncRNA Preserves Transcriptional Dynamics and Maintains ESC Self-Renewal

The authors identified a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) containing the uc.170⁺, named T-UCstem1, and provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that it plays essential roles in ESCs by modulating cytoplasmic miRNA levels and preserving transcriptional dynamics. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Embryonic Stem Cell Transplants as a Therapeutic Strategy in a Rodent Model of Autism

Investigators used a dual-reporter embryonic stem cell line to generate enriched populations of parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons, which were transplanted into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the Poly I:C rodent model of autism. PV interneuron transplants were able to decrease pyramidal cell firing in the mPFC and alleviated deficits in social interaction and cognitive flexibility. [Neuropsychopharmacology] Abstract

Haploid Embryonic Stem Cells Can Be Enriched and Maintained by Simple Filtration

Acting on their observation that haploid and diploidized cells differ in diameter, scientists developed a simplified filtration method to enrich haploid cells from cultured haploid mammalian ESCs (haESCs). They found that regular cell filtration with this system reliably maintained haploidy of mouse haESCs for over 30 passages. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Transcriptome Variations among Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Are Associated with Their Differentiation Propensity

Investigators compared transcriptome variations of four human ESC (hESC) lines H7, HUES1, HUES8 and HUES9. They found that hESC lines have different gene expression profiles, and these differentially expressed genes are significantly enriched in developmental processes, such as ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal development. [PLoS One] Full Article

Identification and Characterization of MYH9 Locus for High Efficient Gene Knock-In and Stable Expression in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists report that a high and repeatable homologous recombination frequency is achieved when an approximate 6kb DNA sequence flanking the MYH9 gene exon 2 site is used to create the homology arms for the knockout/knock-in of diverse nonmuscle myosin II isoforms in mouse ES cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

Shaping Cell Fate: Influence of Topographical Substratum Properties on Embryonic Stem Cells

The authors review the role of mechanical properties during embryogenesis and discuss the effect of engineered micro-topographies on embryonic stem cell pluripotency. [Tissue Eng Part B Rev] Abstract

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

Cedars-Sinai and Emulate Advance Precision Medicine with Organs-on-Chips, Stem Cells

Scientists at Cedars-Sinai and Emulate Inc. are pioneering a Patient-on-a-Chip program to help predict which disease treatments would be most effective based on a patient’s genetic makeup and disease variant—a new approach to precision medicine for improving patient care and health. [Cedars-Sinai] Press Release

Emulate, Inc. Announces Strategic Partnership with Leading Pharmaceutical Company to Apply the ‘Human Emulation System’ as a Platform for Drug Discovery

Emulate, Inc. announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with F Hoffman La-Roche AG (Roche) that will use Emulate’s Human Emulation System across R&D programs to enable more human-relevant studies that will lead to earlier and better prediction of safety and efficacy of drug candidates. [Emulate, Inc.] Press Release

UK Scientists Brace for Disruption as Huge Academic Strike Set to Begin

Tens of thousands of UK researchers are expected to walk out of their universities in a nationwide strike over pensions that is likely to disrupt scientific experiments, conferences and lectures. [Nature News] Editorial

Indonesian Scientists Hamstrung by Year-Long Funding Delay

Indonesian scientists expecting to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for research are stuck in limbo because the country’s first dedicated science-funding agency is struggling to raise enough money. [Nature News] Editorial

Italian Election Leaves Science Out in the Cold

As campaigning ahead of Italy’s national election enters its final weeks, researchers in the country fear that budget cuts and declining interest in science will only continue — whatever the outcome of the vote. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Aegean Conferences: 2^nd International Conference on Tissue Repair, Regeneration, and Fibrosis
June 13-18, 2018
Crete, Greece

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

NEW Principal Investigator – Stem Cell Approaches to Study Neurodevelopmental Diseases (CHU Sainte-Justine, University of Montreal)

NEW Postdoctoral Associate – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (Duke University)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (City of Hope)

Multiple Positions – Neuroscience and Stem Cells (Sun Yat-Sen University)

Postdoctoral Position – Metabolic Regulation of Embryos and Stem Cells (Joslin Diabetes Center)

Associate Scientific Editor – Cell Reports/Cell Stem Cell (Elsevier)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Cell-Based Cardiac Regeneration (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Position – Pancreas Development and Stem Cells (Helmholtz Zentrum München)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Neurodegeneration (Lund University)

Research Scientist – Stem Cell Research (Evotec AG)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in ESC & iPSC News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.