Muscle Cell News 3.13 April 16, 2018 | |
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TOP STORYScientists identified defective 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG) base excision repair in human atherosclerotic plaque vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), BER enzyme 8oxoG DNA glycosylase I (OGG1) as a major 8oxoG repair enzyme in VSMCs, and p300/SIRT1 as major regulators of OGG1 through acetylation/deacetylation. [Circulation] Abstract | Full Article | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)CARDIAC MUSCLE CELLSNKX2–5 Regulates Human Cardiomyogenesis via a HEY2 Dependent Transcriptional Network The authors showed that deletion of NKX2–5, a critical component of the cardiac gene regulatory network, in human embryonic stem cells, results in impaired cardiomyogenesis, failure to activate VCAM1 and to downregulate the progenitor marker PDGFRα. [Nat Commun] Full Article Autophagy-related (ATG) protein methylation and its physiological role have not yet been elucidated. Researchers present evidence that the precise activity of ATG16L1 protein in hypoxia/reoxygenation-treated cardiomyocytes is regulated by a balanced methylation and phosphorylation switch. [Autophagy] Abstract Researchers investigated the antioxidant and cardioprotective effects of a polyphenol-rich fraction of citrus bergamot (BPF), in doxorubicin-induced cardiac damage in rats. Moreover, they evaluated the effect of BPF on cardiomyocyte survival and resident endogenous cardiac stem/progenitor cell activation. [J Mol Cell Cardiol] Abstract Investigators developed a method to differentiate integration-free rhesus macaque induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into cardiomyocytes with >85% purity in 10 days, using fully chemically defined conditions. Rhesus cardiomyocytes derived by their stepwise differentiation method expressed signature cardiac markers and showed normal electrochemical coupling. [Sci Rep] Full Article ALPK2 Promotes Cardiogenesis in Zebrafish and Human Pluripotent Stem Cells By intersecting gene expression and loss-of-function siRNA screens, scientists identified alpha protein kinase 2 (ALPK2) as a candidate negative regulator of WNT/β-catenin signaling in cardiogenesis. In differentiating human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), ALPK2 was highly induced as hESCs transition from mesoderm to cardiac progenitors. [iScience] Full Article | Graphical Abstract SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLSHistone H3.3 Sub-Variant H3mm7 Is Required for Normal Skeletal Muscle Regeneration The authors characterized the function of histone H3.3 sub-variant, H3mm7, which is expressed in skeletal muscle satellite cells. H3mm7 knockout mice demonstrated an essential role of H3mm7 in skeletal muscle regeneration. [Nat Commun] Full Article PITX2 Enhances the Regenerative Potential of Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells Researchers demonstrated that the c-isoform of PITX2 transcription factor modifies the myogenic potential of dystrophic-deficient satellite cells. They further showed that PITX2c enhances the regenerative capability of mouse DYSTROPHIN-deficient satellite cells by increasing cell proliferation and the number of myogenic committed cells, but importantly also increasing dystrophin-positive myofibers by regulating miR-31. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLSInvestigators developed a thermoplastic-based microfluidic lung airway-on-a-chip model that mimics the lung airway tissue microenvironment, and in particular, the interactions between smooth muscle cells, epithelial cells, and supporting extracellular matrix. [Lab Chip] Abstract | Graphical Abstract The authors identified plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) as a novel target of miR-19a/b, two members of the miR-17~92 cluster. They found that the 3′-untranslated region of PAI-1 contains a miR-19a/b binding site and that miR-19a/b can target this site to suppress PAI-1 protein expression. [Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol] Abstract To determine the role of the calcium-sensitive potassium channel β1 subunit in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone and the response to acute and chronic hypoxia, mice with deletion of the Kcnmb1 gene that encodes for the β1 subunit were placed in chronic hypoxia for 21-24 days. [Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSCorrecting Calcium Dysregulation in Chronic Heart Failure Using SERCA2a Gene Therapy The authors succinctly detail the progression of SERCA2a gene therapy from its inception in plasmid and animal models, to its clinical trials in chronic heart failure patients, highlighting potential avenues for future work along the way. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the muscle cell research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSPfizer Inc. has initiated a Phase Ib clinical trial for its mini-dystrophin gene therapy candidate, PF-06939926, in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. [Pfizer Inc.] Press Release Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks to five new peer-reviewed research grants from the Stem Cell Network worth $999,900, part of an overall investment of $4 million across Canada. [Ottawa Hospital Research Institute] Press Release Cardurion Pharmaceuticals Licenses Clinical Stage Heart Failure Candidate from Astellas Cardurion Pharmaceuticals announced it has entered an exclusive licensing agreement with Astellas to develop and commercialize CRD-733, a PDE-9 inhibitor with the potential to improve cardiac function in heart failure patients. [Cardurion Pharmaceuticals] Press Release Stealth BioTherapeutics announced that the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Stealth’s investigational drug candidate, elamipretide, for the treatment of patients with Barth syndrome. [Stealth BioTherapeutics Inc.] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSSpain’s Biggest-Ever Science Petition Decries ‘Abandonment’ of Research Leading Spanish scientific organizations delivered a petition signed by more than 277,000 people to the national parliament in Madrid, calling on the government to stop the “progressive abandonment of science in Spain” caused by budget cuts. The petition is the largest ever on a science-policy subject in Spain. [Nature News] Editorial Panel Calls for a Postdoc Tax and Other Measures to Help Biomedical Scientists Find Jobs The U.S. Congress, federal funding agencies, universities, and other research institutions must take significant steps, such as a postdoc “tax” and a hard cap on how long postdocs can be funded by a lab head, to better usher young biomedical scientists into viable careers, a committee from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded in a report. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Federation of American Societies for Experiemental Biology (FASEB): Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells and Regeneration Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESPostdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (Stanford University) Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine (University of Oxford) Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration (University of South Dakota) Postdoctoral Research Positions – Musculoskeletal Diseases and Arthritis (NUI Galway) Postdoctoral Fellowship – Differentiation and Applications of Cardiomyocytes (Emory University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Smooth Muscle Cells (University of Colorado) Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Regenerative Medicine (University of Oxford) Research Associate – Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (University of Bristol) Postdoctoral Position – Cancer, Immunotherapy, and Fibrosis (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Director – Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute (Boston University) Postdoctoral Fellowship – Basic and Translational Heart Failure (University of South Florida) 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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