ESC & iPSC News Volume 15.11 | Mar 25 2020

TOP STORY

Transient Non-Integrative Expression of Nuclear Reprogramming Factors Promotes Multifaceted Amelioration of Aging in Human Cells

Investigators showed that transient expression of nuclear reprogramming factors, mediated by expression of mRNAs, promoted a rapid and broad amelioration of cellular aging, including resetting of epigenetic clock, reduction of the inflammatory profile in chondrocytes, and restoration of youthful regenerative response to aged, human muscle stem cells, in each case without abolishing cellular identity. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Low Rates of Mutation in Clinical Grade Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Different Culture Conditions

Researchers showed that the mutation rate in two human ESC lines derived and banked for clinical application was low and not substantially affected by culture with Rho kinase inhibitor, commonly used in their routine maintenance. [Nat Commun] Full Article

O-GlcNAcylation Regulates the Methionine Cycle to Promote Pluripotency of Stem Cells

Blocking glycosylation of adenosylhomocysteinase decreased the ratio of S-adenosylmethionine versus S-adenosylhomocysteine, reduced the level of H3K4me3, and poised mouse ESC for differentiation. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Pumilio Proteins Utilize Distinct Regulatory Mechanisms to Achieve Complementary Functions Required for Pluripotency and Embryogenesis

Researchers report the essential function of two murine pumilio (Pum) proteins, Pum1 and Pum2, in ESCs and early embryogenesis. Pum1/2 double-mutant ESCs displayed severely reduced self-renewal and differentiation, and Pum1/2 double-mutant mice were developmentally delayed at the morula stage and lethal by embryonic day 8.5. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Potently Cytotoxic Natural Killer Cells Initially Emerge from Erythro-Myeloid Progenitors during Mammalian Development

Scientists identified an extra-embryonic origin of potently cytotoxic natural killer cells, suggesting that ontogenic origin was a relevant factor in designing human PSC-derived adoptive immunotherapies. [Dev Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Cell-Type-Specific Adhesiveness and Proliferation Propensity on Laminin Isoforms Enable Purification of iPSC-Derived Corneal Epithelium

Researchers found that human iPSC (hiPSC)-derived ocular cell types exhibited unique adhesion specificities and growth characteristics on distinct E8 fragments of laminin isoforms (LNE8s): hiPSC-derived corneal epithelial cells (iCECs) and other non-CECs rapidly adhered preferentially to LN332/411/511E8 and LN211E8, respectively, through differential expression of laminin-binding integrins. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Dynamical Reorganization of the Pluripotency Transcription Factors Oct4 and Sox2 during Early Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells

Investigators examined the distribution of pluripotency transcription factors Oct4 and Sox2 in the nucleus of ESCs and inquired whether their organization changed during early differentiation stages preceding their downregulation. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Retinal Organoids Derived from hiPSCs of an AIPL1-LCA Patient Maintain Cytoarchitecture despite Reduced Levels of Mutant AIPL1

The authors demonstrated reduced levels of the mutant aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein-like 1 (AIPL1) and phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) proteins in patient organoids, corroborating the findings in animal models; however, patient-derived organoids maintained retinal cell cytoarchitecture despite significantly reduced levels of AIPL1. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Role of RB1 in Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Organoids

To study the role of retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) in early human retinal development and tumor formation, investigators generated retinal organoids from CRISPR/Cas9-derived RB1-null human ESCs. They showed that RB was abundantly expressed in retinal progenitor cells in retinal organoids and loss of RB1 promoted S-phase entry. [Dev Biol] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Modeling Human Cytomegalovirus-Induced Microcephaly in Human iPSC-Derived Brain Organoids

Scientists showed that infection of human iPSC-derived brain organoids by a “clinical-like” human cytomegalovirus strain resulted in reduced brain organoid growth, impaired formation of cortical layers, and abnormal calcium signaling and neural network activity. [Cell Rep Med] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

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Expression and Function of CartilageDerived Pluripotent Cells in Joint Development and Repair

Scientists focus on the organizational distribution, expression, and function of cartilage-derived pluripotent cells in joint development and repair to help explore the therapeutic potential of in situ cartilage-derived pluripotent cells for joint cartilage repair. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

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

AgeX Therapeutics Licensee ImStem Biotechnology Announces FDA Has Lifted the Hold and Cleared the Investigational New Drug Application for IMS001 for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. announced that ImStem Biotechnology, Inc. has received notification from the FDA that it has lifted the hold and cleared the Investigational New Drug application to evaluate IMS001 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. [AgeX Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Researchers Are Tracking Another Epidemic, Too—of Misinformation

When five researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, launched the new Center for an Informed Public back in December 2019, they had no idea what was coming. The center aims to study how misinformation propagates and use the findings to “promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse. Now, just a few months later, the coronavirus pandemic is generating a tidal wave of information—some of it accurate, some not so much—that has saturated social and traditional media.” [ScienceInsider] Editorial

After Conference Cancellations, Some Scientists Find a Way

As scores of academic meetings get upended due to COVID-19, researchers are turning to virtual replacements. [The Scientist] Editorial

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NEW Faculty Position – Regenerative Medicine (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellows – Developmental Neuroscience (Children’s National Hospital)

NEW Researcher – iPSCs (European Molecular Biology Laboratory)

Postdoctoral Position – Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Lung Organoids (Columbia University Medical Center)

Technician – Stem Cell Culture (University of Luxembourg)

Postdoctoral Position – Pluripotency (Cancer Research Center)

Research Specialist – Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Postdoctoral Position – Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Hepatobiliary Tissues (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Associate – Cerebral Organoids (Weill Cornell Medicine)

Assistant Specialist – Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (University of California, Davis)

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