Muscle Cell News 1.35 December 5, 2016 | |
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TOP STORYEpigenetic Stress Responses Induce Muscle Stem-Cell Aging by Hoxa9 Developmental Signals Investigators found that inhibition of aberrant chromatin activation or deletion of Hoxa9 improves satellite cell function and muscle regeneration in aged mice, whereas overexpression of Hoxa9 mimics aging-associated defects in satellite cells from young mice, which can be rescued by the inhibition of Hoxa9-targeted developmental pathways. Together, these data delineate an altered epigenetic stress response in activated satellite cells from aged mice, which limits satellite cell function and muscle regeneration by Hoxa9-dependent activation of developmental pathways. [Nature] Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)CARDIAC MUSCLE CELLSResearchers describe a differentiation platform that provides a basis for generating distinct cardiovascular progenitor populations that enable the derivation of cardiomyocytes and functionally distinct endothelial cell subtypes from cardiogenic versus hemogenic mesoderm with high efficiency without cell sorting. [Nat Protoc] Full Article The authors fabricated cardiac muscle strips by encapsulating hESC-CMs in collagen-based biomaterials. Supplementation of niche cells at 3% to the number of hESC-CMs enhanced the maturation of the hESC-CMs in 3-dimensional (3D) tissue matrix. The benefits of adding mesenchymal stem cells were comparable to that of adding fibroblasts. They demonstrated that the application of niche cells and mechanical stretch both stimulate the maturation of hESC-CMs in 3D architecture. Their results therefore suggest that this 3D model can be used for in vitro cardiac maturation study. [Acta Biomater] Abstract Investigators showed that the temporal modulation of canonical Wnt signaling is sufficient for epicardial induction from six different human pluripotent stem cell lines, including a WT1-2A-eGFP knock-in reporter line, under chemically defined, xeno-free conditions. [Nat Biomed Eng] Abstract SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLSEnhanced Respiratory Chain Supercomplex Formation in Response to Exercise in Human Skeletal Muscle Scientists investigated the effect of four months of exercise training on skeletal muscle mitochondria electron transport chain complexes and supercomplexes in 26 healthy, sedentary older adults. Exercise differentially modulated respiratory complexes. Their results provide the first evidence that exercise affects the stoichiometry of supercomplex formation in humans and thus reveal a novel adaptive mechanism for increased energy demand. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Graphical Abstract The authors studied the onset and progression of skeletal muscle chloride channel (ClC-1) currents in R6/2 mice, ranging from three weeks old (presymptomatic) to 9–13 weeks old (late-stage disease), and compared with age-matched wild-type (WT) siblings. The R6/2 ClC-1 current density and level of aberrantly spliced Clcn1 mRNA remain constant with age. In contrast, the ClC-1 current density increases, and the level of aberrantly spliced Clcn1 mRNA decreases with age in WT mice. [J Gen Physiol] Abstract | Press Release Scientists found the superiority of the PP6/muscle-derived stem cells appears to be attributable to a combination of increased rate of in vivo survival and superior chondrogenic differentiation capacity. [Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev] Full Article A Non-Invasive In Vitro Monitoring System Reporting Skeletal Muscle Differentiation Monitoring of cell differentiation is a crucial aspect of cell-based therapeutic strategies depending on tissue maturation. In this study researchers have developed a non-invasive reporter system to trace murine skeletal muscle differentiation. [Tissue Eng Part C Methods] Abstract SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLSTo investigate the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms in Marfan syndrome (MFS), researchers generated a vascular model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (MFS-hiPSCs). Their MFS-hiPSC-derived smooth muscle cells recapitulated the pathology seen in Marfan aortas, including defects in fibrillin-1 accumulation, extracellular matrix degradation, transforming growth factor-β signaling, contraction and apoptosis; abnormalities were corrected by CRISPR-based editing of the FBN1 mutation. [Nat Genet] Abstract | Press Release Defining an Olfactory Receptor Function in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells Pathways that control, or can be exploited to alter, the increase in airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass and cellular remodeling that occur in asthma are not well defined. Researchers reported the expression of odorant receptors (ORs) belonging to the superfamily of G-protein coupled receptors, as well as the canonical olfaction machinery in the smooth muscle of human bronchi. In primary cultures of isolated human ASM, they identified mRNA expression for multiple ORs. [Sci Rep] Full Article | |
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REVIEWSThe authors describe and discuss the current knowledge about the satellite cell activation and expansion in response to aerobic exercise adaptation in human and rodent models. Additionally, findings about the in vitro metabolic control, which seems be involved in the satellite cell activation and cell fate control, are presented and discussed. [Life Sci] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the muscle cell research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSStudy Seeks Answer to Whether Mechanical Pump Can Regenerate Heart Muscle Researchers with UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine are launching clinical trials to find out if heart muscle that’s been damaged by a heart attack be prompted to repair itself. The trials will look at whether a type of mechanical pump called a ventricular assist device can create an environment that results in regeneration of heart cells. [UT Southwestern Medical Center] Press Release Allen Institute for Cell Science Releases Gene Edited Human Stem Cell Lines The Allen Institute for Cell Science has released the Allen Cell Collection: the first publicly available collection of gene edited, fluorescently tagged human induced pluripotent stem cells that target key cellular structures with unprecedented clarity. Distributed through the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, these powerful tools are a crucial first step toward visualizing the dynamic organization of cells to better understand what makes human cells healthy and what goes wrong in disease. [The Allen Institute for Cell Science] Press Release Acetylon Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Celgene Corporation. Prior to the consummation of the acquisition, Acetylon will spin out a new company, Regenacy Pharmaceuticals, LLC, which will focus on the development of novel drug candidates that selectively regenerate intracellular transport and upregulate gene expression to modify the course of disease [Acetylon Pharmaceuticals] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSMaryland Congressman in Running to Head NIH? Representative Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist who has shown a keen interest in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while in Congress, has put his hat in the ring for NIH director in the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, he told ScienceInsider. Harris says he knows that some biomedical scientists would view him as a controversial choice, but argues that his blend of research and political experience would make him a good advocate for addressing NIH’s flaws and for growing the agency’s budget in a time of fiscal restraint. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Eteplirsen Approved for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: The FDA Faces a Difficult Choice Eteplirsen, now renamed Exondys 51, was approved, to the delight of many and the fury of some, who lamented the FDA’s decision as “this isn’t even science.” But in having to deal with such a politically charged question, perhaps Janet Woodcock, Director of the FDA’s Drug Division took the optimal course of action by kicking the can down the road a bit; Sarepta must produce data on more than 12 patients or run the risk of losing its hard-won FDA approval. [Mol Ther] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Stem Cells in Drug Discovery Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESPostdoctoral Researcher – Cardiovascular Research (Oslo University Hospital) Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Cardiovascular Research (Columbia University Medical Center) Postdoctoral Associate – Muscle Cell Biology (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute) Western Research Chair – Musculoskeletal Health (Western University Canada) PhD – Neuromuscular and Cardiovascular Cell Biology (Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine) Postdoctoral Associate – Integrative Biology & Physiology (University of Minnesota) Assistant Professor – Biomedical Engineering (Univesrity of South Dakota) National Field Product Service Specialist (Cook MyoSite) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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Home Muscle Cell News Volume 1.35 | Dec 5 2016