ESC & iPSC News Volume 15.18 | May 13 2020

TOP STORY

ADAR1-Dependent RNA Editing Promotes MET and iPSC Reprogramming by Alleviating ER Stress

Researchers showed that loss of ADAR1-mediated A-to-I editing disrupted mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) during iPSC reprogramming and impeded acquisition of induced pluripotency. [Cell Stem Cell] Full Article | Graphical Absract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

A Human Skeletal Muscle Atlas Identifies the Trajectories of Stem and Progenitor Cells across Development and from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists profiled the heterogeneous cell cultures generated from multiple human PSC (hPSC) myogenic differentiation protocols and mapped hPSC-derived myogenic progenitors to an embryonic-to-fetal transition period. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

BMP4 Resets Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells to Naive Pluripotency through ZBTB7A/B-Mediated Chromatin Remodelling

Investigators identified Zbtb7a and Zbtb7b (Zbtb7a/b) as targets that drove primed-to-naive transition. ZBTB7A/B facilitated the opening of naive pluripotent chromatin loci and the activation of nearby genes. [Nat Cell Biol] Abstract

The Transcriptional Regulator ZNF398 Mediates Pluripotency and Epithelial Character Downstream of TGF-Beta in Human PSCs

Researchers identified a quartet of transcriptional regulators promoting human PSC (hPSC) self-renewal including ZNF398, a human-specific mediator of pluripotency and epithelial character in hPSCs. [Nat Commun] Full Article

A Method for the Generation of Human Stem Cell-Derived Alpha Cells

Investigators report on the generation of stem cell-derived human pancreatic alpha cells from PSCs via a transient pre-alpha cell intermediate. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Nutrient-Driven O-GlcNAcylation Controls DNA Damage Repair Signaling and Stem/Progenitor Cell Homeostasis

O-GlcNAc-dependent regulatory pathway was critical for maintaining gut homeostasis in Drosophila and the DNA damage response in mouse ESCs and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Generation of Lungs by Blastocyst Complementation in Apneumic Fgf10-Deficient Mice

Scientists report the generation of lungs using mouse ESCs in apneumic Fgf10 Ex1^mut/Ex3^mut mice by blastocyst complementation. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Primary Proprioceptive Neurons from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Cell Model for Afferent Ataxias

To develop a cell model that could be applied to conditions primarily affecting proprioceptors, the authors set up a protocol to differentiate iPSCs into primary proprioceptive neurons. [Sci Rep] Full Article

The Rho-Associated Kinase Inhibitor Fasudil Can Replace Y-27632 for Use in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research

To date, a typical Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, Y-27632, has been the primary agent used in human PSC (hPSC) research. Researchers report that another ROCK inhibitor, fasudil, could be used as an alternative and is cheaper than Y-27632. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Modeling Metabolic Perturbations and Impaired Bioenergetics Underlying Cardiomyopathies

Scientists highlight the use of patient-derived iPSCs for studying the pathogenesis underlying cardiomyopathies associated with metabolic perturbations and impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics, as the ability of iPSCs for self-renewal and differentiation makes them an ideal platform for investigating disease pathogenesis in a controlled in vitro environment. [Cardiovasc Res] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

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

Lineage Cell Therapeutics Announces Early Exercise of Option with Cancer Research UK for Immuno-Oncology Cell Therapy Program

Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. announced that Cancer Research UK’s Commercial Partnerships has permitted Lineage to conduct an early exercise of its option to acquire data from Cancer Research UK’s ongoing Phase I clinical trial of VAC2 in non-small cell lung cancer, and develop an allogeneic dendritic cell therapy platform. [Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Revealed: Two Men in China Were First to Receive Pioneering Stem-Cell Treatment for Heart-Disease

The men are reportedly doing well one year on, but there is no way to confirm that the unpublished treatment using ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells works. [Nature News] Editorial

Coronavirus Shut-Downs Pose Huge Threat to Australian Research Jobs

Research in Australia will face drastic cuts in funding and jobs as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shut-downs, according to a report by organizations representing the country’s researchers and academia. [Nature News] Editorial

Secretive Jasons to Offer Advice on How to Reopen Academic Labs Shut by Pandemic

A group of prominent academic scientists that has been advising the US government on security matters since the Cold War is conducting a quick-turnaround, pro bono study of a new threat to national security-the impact of COVID-19 on academic research. And this time it’s personal. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

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NEW PhD Candidate – Cardiovascular Diseases (University Medical Center Göttingen)

Senior Scientist – Human iPSC Gene Engineering (Empyrean Therapeutics Ltd)

Research Assistant – Cell-Based Assays for Drug Discovery (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Fellow – ALS (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Wnt Signaling (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum)

Postdoctoral Position – iPSCs (KU Leuven)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes (The University of Arizona College of Medicine)

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

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

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)

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