Mesenchymal Cell News Volume 11.08 | Mar 5 2019

TOP STORY

A Radical Switch in Clonality Reveals a Stem Cell Niche in the Epiphyseal Growth Plate

Scientists demonstrated that longitudinal growth during the fetal and neonatal periods involved depletion of chondroprogenitors, whereas later in life, coinciding with the formation of the secondary ossification center, chondroprogenitors acquired the capacity for self-renewal, resulting in the formation of large, stable monoclonal columns of chondrocytes. [Nature] Abstract | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

IN VITRO

Osteogenesis Depends on Commissioning of a Network of Stem Cell Transcription Factors That Act as Repressors of Adipogenesis

Researchers performed comprehensive characterization of the transcriptional and epigenomic changes associated with osteoblast and adipocyte differentiation of human MSCs. They demonstrated that adipogenesis was driven by considerable remodeling of the chromatin landscape and de novo activation of enhancers, whereas osteogenesis involved activation of preestablished enhancers. [Nat Genet] Abstract

An Early-Senescence State in Aged Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Contributes to Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Clonogenic Impairment through the Activation of a Pro-Inflammatory Program

Aged MSCs displayed an enlarged senescent-like morphology, a delayed clonogenic potential and reduced proliferation ability when compared to younger counterparts. Of note, the observed proliferation delay was associated with increased levels of SA-β-galactosidase and lipofuscin in aged MSCs at early passages and a modest but consistent accumulation of physical DNA damage and DNA damage response activation. [Aging Cell] Full Article

iPSC-Derived MSCs Are Functionally and Genetically Different from BM-MSCs

Investigators conducted phenotypic, functional and genetic comparisons between induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-MSCs (iMSCs) and bone marrow-derived (BM)-MSCs. They found that iMSCs expressed very high levels of both KDR and MSX2 compared to BM-MSCs. In addition, BM-MSCs had significantly higher levels of PDGFRα. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Bone-Specific Overexpression of PITX1 Induces Senile Osteoporosis in Mice through Deficient Self-Renewal of Mesenchymal Progenitors and Wnt Pathway Inhibition

Through in vivo and in vitro analyses, the authors demonstrated that paired-like homeodomain 1 (PITX1) directly regulated the self-renewal of mesenchymal progenitors and indirectly regulated osteoclast differentiation through the upregulation of Wnt signaling inhibitors DKK1, SOST, and GSK3-β. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Characterization of Metabolic Profiles and Lipopolysaccharide Effects on Porcine Vascular Wall Mesenchymal Stem Cells

At the first and second cell passages, porcine vascular wall MSCs exploited both glycolysis and cellular respiration to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP), but in the subsequent passages they did not show any mitochondrial ATP turnover. [J Cell Physiol] Abstract

Osteogenic Effects of VEGF-Overexpressed Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells with Whitlockite Reinforced Cryogel for Bone Regeneration

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-secreting human adipose-derived stem cells (VEGF-ADSC) secreted tenfold more VEGF than ADSC and showed increased VEGF secretion with cell growth. [Macromol Biosci] Abstract

IN VIVO

CD271-Selected Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Adipose Tissue Enhance Cartilage Repair and Are Less Angiogenic than Plastic Adherent Mesenchymal Stem Cells

CD271⁺ MSCs transplanted into athymic rats significantly enhanced osteochondral wound healing with reduced vascularization in the repair tissue compared to plastic adherent MSCs and control animals; there was little histological evidence of mature articular cartilage formation in all animals. [Sci Rep] Full Article

A Novel Approach to Label Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Mixed-Surface PAMAM Dendrimers

Investigators showed that dendrimer-labeled bone marrow-derived-MSCs were able to successfully maintain their stemness and were tracked in vivo following transplantation. Unlike Hoechst, they did not find the dendrimers to be leaking out of the cells and were very specific to the cells that up took the dendrimers. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Beneficial Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Delivery via a Novel Cardiac Bioscaffold on Right Ventricles of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertensive Rats

Researchers showed that compared to other treatment groups, only the MSC-seeded bioscaffold group resulted in right ventricular functional improvement including restored stroke volume, cardiac output and improved stroke work. [Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol] Abstract

Subscribe to one of our other 19 science newsletters such as ESC & iPSC News & Cell Therapy News.

Thy-1: More than a Marker for Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Recently, thymus cell antigen 1 (Thy-1) has been shown to promote osteogenic differentiation of MSCs and thus bone formation while inhibiting adipogenic differentiation and restricting adipose tissue accumulation. The authors aim to summarize data on the impact of Thy-1 on the control of MSC differentiation and its consequences for bone and fat formation. [FASEB J] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the mesenchymal cell research field.

BioRestorative Therapies Announces the Creation of a Disc Advisory Committee

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. announced the creation of a Disc Advisory Committee of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Jason Lipetz, MD, a member of the company’s SAB headed by Dr. Wayne Marasco, will Chair the newly formed committee. [BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.] Press Release

The University of Oxford and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals Announce New Affiliation to Advance Therapies for Rare Diseases

The University of Oxford and University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, announced a multi-year affiliation to establish a global center for rare diseases. The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre will bring together the capabilities, resources and expertise of both institutions to deliver new treatments for rare diseases, for which therapeutic options are lacking. [University Hospitals] Press Release

NIH Provides $23 Million for Statewide Translational Research Institute

The integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia has been awarded a five-year grant of nearly $23 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance innovative ideas from the point of discovery to implementation in clinical practice and population health. [University of Virginia] Press Release

Trump Threatens to Cut Federal Research Funding over Free Speech

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Donald Trump promised to sign an executive order cutting off funds to colleges and universities that do not maintain free speech. The president said “it will be very costly” if institutions don’t comply, but he did not give many details about the possible executive order or who would decide if schools were adequately protecting free speech. [The Scientist] Editorial

China Creating National Medical Ethics Committee to Oversee High-Risk Clinical Trials

A powerful new national medical ethics committee, which will approve all clinical trials involving high-risk biomedical technologies, is at the center of a regulatory shakeup Chinese authorities are planning in the aftermath of the widely condemned “CRISPR babies” experiment, STAT has learned. [STAT News] Editorial

Peer-Review Experiments Tracked in Online Repository

A grass-roots group of biologists has started a website to keep track of the proliferation of experiments in academic peer review — including trials and platforms aimed at making the review process faster, cheaper, and more transparent and interactive. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW World Advanced Therapies and Regenerative Medicine Congress 2019
May 15-17, 2019
London, United Kingdom

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow & Research Associate – Morphogenetic Signaling Pathways (University of Rochester Medical Center)

NEW Assistant Professor – Biomedical Research (Michigan State University)

NEW Faculty Position – Bioengineering (University of Pittsburgh)

NEW Assistant Professor – Biomedical Engineering (Binghamton University)

Assistant Professor – Sarcoma or Skeletal Related Malignancies (University of California at Davis)

Research Scientist – Stem Cell Biology (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – MSC Research (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)

PhD Positions – Cancer Biology (Institut Curie)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (City of Hope)

Post Doctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology)

Assistant Professor – Department of Biological Sciences (Rutgers University Newark)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Mesenchymal Cell News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.