ESC & iPSC News Volume 9.14 | Apr 16 2014

Brf1 Posttranscriptionally Regulates Pluripotency and Differentiation Responses Downstream of Erk MAP Kinase
Scientists show that Brf1 (zfp36l1), an AU-rich element mRNA-binding protein from the Zfp36 protein family, operates downstream of FGF/Erk MAP kinase signaling to regulate pluripotency and cell fate decision making in mouse embryonic stem cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

TET2 Deficiency Inhibits Mesoderm and Hematopoietic Differentiation in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists showed that Ten-Eleven-Translocation 2 (TET2) expression is low in human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and increases during hematopoietic differentiation. ShRNA-mediated TET2 knockdown had no effect on the pluripotency of various ES cells. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Induced Pluripotency in Chicken Embryonic Fibroblast Results in a Germ Cell Fate
Using a reprogramming strategy, researchers demonstrate that over-expression of ectopic transcription factors in embryonic fibroblast can lead to the generation of chicken induced-PGCs. [Stem Cell Dev] Abstract

Heterogeneous Mixed-Lineage Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Induced by Conditioned Media from A549 Cells
The authors compared the effects of A549-conditioned media (CM) treatment on the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells organized in monolayer or embryoid bodies. They analyzed the cultures treated with A549-CM using specific lineage markers by qPCR and lineage-focused PCR arrays and demonstrated heterogeneous CM-induced differentiation. [Stem Cell Dev] Abstract

Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase has an Extratelomeric Function in Somatic Cell Reprogramming
Although induced pluripotent stem cells were successfully generated from telomerase reverse transcriptase-KO tail-tip fibroblasts (TTFs), the efficiency of reprogramming of these cells was markedly lower than that of WT TTFs. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Completely ES Cell-Derived Mice Produced by Tetraploid Complementation Using Inner Cell Mass (ICM) Deficient Blastocysts
Tetraploid complementation is often used to produce mice from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by injection of diploid ESCs into tetraploid blastocysts. Scientists showed that mouse tetraploid blastocysts can be classified into two groups, according to the presence or absence of an ICM. [PLoS One] Full Article

Rapid and Efficient Conversion of Integration-Free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to GMP-Grade Culture Conditions
Researchers provide an optimized, fully chemically defined and feeder-free protocol for the derivation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) using synthetic mRNAs. The protocol results in derivation of fully reprogrammed hiPSC lines from adult dermal fibroblasts in less than two weeks. [PLoS One] Full Article

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ReNeuron Signs Agreement to Lease a New R&D, Manufacturing and Headquarters Facility in South Wales
ReNeuron Group plc, the leading UK-based stem cell therapy company, announced that it has signed an agreement with the Welsh Government to lease a landmark building at Pencoed Technology Park, near Cardiff, South Wales. [ReNeuron Group plc] Press Release

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Acid-Bath Stem Cell Scientist Apologizes and Appeals
Haruko Obokata, the Japanese scientist at the center of a controversy over studies purporting to turn mature cells to stem cells simply by bathing them in acid or subjecting them to mechanical stress, apologized for her errors in the work. [Nature News] Editorial

Pro-Life Citizens’ Initiative Worries E.U. Scientists
A group of European pro-life organizations is mobilizing against embryonic stem cell research in a way that the European Commission cannot ignore. One of Us, a so-called European citizens’ initiative, has collected 1.7 million signatures from all 28 E.U. member states for a proposal that would block funding for research in which embryos are destroyed; under E.U. rules, the European Commission must now consider turning the proposal into legislation. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

London Mayor Seeks to Form Biomedical ‘Golden Triangle’
London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, unveiled an initiative that aims to attract commercial investment to the bioscience research powerhouses of London, Oxford, and Cambridge. Johnson hopes that his plan – dubbed MedCity – will forge a “golden triangle” of research collaborations between the three cities, bring in venture capital financing for spinout companies, and encourage major pharmaceutical companies to establish bases in the region. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

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Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology (Yale Stem Cell Center)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Research Officer – Stem Cell Research (Bioprocessing Technology Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Research (Washington University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Embryonic Stem Cells and Chromatin Biology (University of Michigan)

Postdoctoral Position – TGFβ-Signaling Pathway in Embryonic Stem Cells (Tsinghua University)

Stem Cell Research Technician (Van Andel Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cells and Epigenetics (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)

Director of GMP/GLP Quality Operations (University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Human Stem Cell Biology and Hematopoiesis (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Particle Chemistry (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – PSC Biology and Bioengineering (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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