Functional Melanocytes Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Engraft into Pluristratified Epidermis The issue with analyzing the molecular mechanisms and function of human melanocytes can now be addressed via a differentiation protocol that allows melanocytes to be obtained from pluripotent stem cell lines based on the use of moderate concentrations of a single cytokine, bone morphogenic protein 4. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] TGFβ Inhibition Enhances the Generation of Hematopoietic Progenitors from Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Hemogenic Endothelial Cells Using a Stepwise Strategy Here, on the basis of the emergence of CD43+ hematopoietic cells from hemogenic endothelial (HE) cells, researchers demonstrated that VEGF was essential and sufficient, and that bFGF was synergistic with VEGF to specify the HE cells and the subsequent transition into CD43+ hematopoietic cells. [Cell Res] HNF4A Is Essential for Specification of Hepatic Progenitors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells In the current study, investigators addressed the feasibility of using human pluripotent stem cells to probe the molecular mechanisms underlying human hepatocyte differentiation. [Development] Inhibitors of Src and Focal Adhesion Kinase Promote Endocrine Specification: Impact on the Derivation of Beta Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells In this study scientists show that the pyrrolo-pyrimidine src-family kinase inhibitor PP2 effectively promotes the endocrine specification of human embryonic stem cell derivatives based on its capacity to induce the expression of proendocrine transcription factors (NGN3, NEUROD1, NKX2.2 and PAX4) and to significantly increase the final yield of insulin-positive cells. [J Biol Chem] Histone H1 Variants Are Differentially Expressed and Incorporated into Chromatin During Differentiation and Reprogramming to Pluripotency Researchers have revisited the notion that different linker histone variants may have distinct roles by using new methodologies to study pluripotency and differentiation, including the in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem and teratocarcinoma cells, and the reprogramming of keratinocytes to induced pluripotent stem cells. [J Biol Chem] Pluripotency-Related, Valproic Acid-Induced Genome-Wide H3K9 Acetylation Patterns in Embryonic Stem Cells Using H3K9ac ChIP-seq analyses and gene expression in E14 mouse embryonic stem cells before and after low level of the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid, investigators show that H3K9ac is enriched at gene promoters and is highly correlated with gene expression and with various genomic features, including different active histone marks and pluripotency-related transcription factors. [J Biol Chem] Normal Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines Exhibit Pervasive Mosaic Aneuploidy Researchers report that normal human pluripotent stem cell lines are karyotypic mosaics of euploid cells intermixed with many cells showing non-clonal aneuploidies as identified by chromosome counting, spectral karyotyping and fluorescent in situ hybridization of interphase/non-mitotic cells. [PLoS One] Parkinson’s Disease Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with Triplication of the α-Synuclein Locus Researchers produce multiple induced pluripotent stem cell lines from an SNCA triplication patient and an unaffected first-degree relative. [Nat Commun] |