ESC & iPSC News Volume 8.30 | Jul 31 2013

Highly Efficient Induction and Long-Term Maintenance of Multipotent Cardiovascular Progenitors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Under Defined Conditions
Researchers aimed to develop chemically defined systems for robust generation and stable propagation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs) by modulating the key early developmental pathways involved in human cardiovascular specification and CVPC self-renewal. [Cell Res] Full Article

A Direct Physical Interaction between Nanog and Sox2 Regulates Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal
Results suggest that aromatic stacking of Nanog tryptophans and Sox2 tyrosines mediates an interaction central to embryonic stem cell self-renewal. [EMBO J] Full Article

Acetylated Histone H3K56 Interacts with Oct4 to Promote Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency
Data suggest that acetylated histone H3K56 plays a central role in binding to Oct4 to promote the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

SOX2-LIN28/let-7 Pathway Regulates Proliferation and Neurogenesis in Neural Precursors
Using human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursor cells to model neurogenesis, investigators found that SRY (sex-determining region)-box 2 (SOX2) is required to maintain optimal levels of LIN28, a well-characterized suppressor of let-7 microRNA biogenesis. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

A General Strategy for Cellular Reprogramming: The Importance of Transcription Factor Cross-Repression
Researchers introduced a method that generalizes the concept of transcription factor cross-repression to systematically predict sets of genes, whose perturbations induce cellular transitions between any given pair of cell types. Given the increasing interest of cellular reprogramming in medicine and basic research, this method represents a useful computational methodology to assist researchers in the field in designing experimental strategies. [Stem Cells] Abstract | Full Article | Press Release

Phenotypic Assays for β-Amyloid in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neurons
Investigators established phenotypic neuronal assays for the biogenesis and synaptic action of amyloid β peptide based on embryonic stem cell-derived neurons. [Chem Biol]
Abstract | Full Article | Graphical Abstract

A p38mapk-p53 Cascade Regulates Mesodermal Differentiation and Neurogenesis of Embryonic Stem Cells
Results showed that p53 mediates, at least for a large part, the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38mapk) control of the early commitment of embryonic stem cells toward mesodermal and neural lineages. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

A Cellular Model for Sporadic ALS Using Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Researchers report the reprogramming to pluripotency of fibroblasts from a large cohort of healthy controls and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and their differentiation into motor neurons. They demonstrated that motor neurons derived from three sporadic ALS patients show de novo TDP-43 aggregation and that the aggregates recapitulate pathology in postmortem tissue from one of the same patients from which the induced pluripotent stem cells were derived. [Mol Cell Neurosci] Abstract

Generation of Tooth-Like Structures from Integration-Free Human Urine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Investigators described the generation of tooth-like structures from integration-free human urine induced pluripotent stem cells. [Cell Regen] Abstract | Full Article | Press Release

Human Embryonic Stem Cell Applications for Retinal Degenerations
The authors provide a quick primer on key pathways involved in the development of the neural retina and RPE followed by a discussion of the various protocols out in the literature for generating these cells from non-human and human embryonic stem cells and end with in vivo application of embryonic stem cell-derived photoreceptors and RPE cells. [Exp Eye Res] Abstract

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LifeMap Sciences Announces Release of LifeMap Discovery^TM Version 1.2 with Extensive Stem Cell Therapy Data
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. announced the release of LifeMap Discovery™ version 1.2. LifeMap Discovery™ is a state-of-the-art roadmap of embryonic development and stem cell biology. The product integrates embryonic development and stem cell biology, molecular, cellular, anatomical, and disease-related information, and provides data-mining capabilities and bioinformatics applications. [LifeMap Sciences, Inc.] Press Release

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Research Assistant – Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Culture and Microinjection (Mary Lyon Centre, MRC-Harwell)

Stem Cell Researcher – Heart Research Group (University of Tampere)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Therapy and Epigenetics of Retina (University of Pittsburgh, Ophthalmology)

Postdoctoral Position – Pluripotent Stem Cells to Islets (INSERM FRANCE)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Organic Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry (Masaryk University)

Director of Cell Processing Facility (S L Collins Associates, Inc.)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Immunology (Medical University of South Carolina)

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