Muscle Cell News 3.20 June 11, 2018 | |
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TOP STORYNew Target for Treating Heart Failure Identified Changes in cellular struts called microtubules can affect the stiffness of diseased human heart muscle cells, and reversing these modifications can lessen the stiffness and improve the beating strength of these cells isolated from transplant patients with heart failure, found researchers. [Press release from the University of Pennsylvania discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine] Press Release | Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)CARDIAC MUSCLE CELLSThe authors report a micro device array that is capable of performing continuous, long-term measurement of contractility, beating rate, and beating rhythm in a monolayer of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-cardiomyocytes. [ACS Appl Mater Interfaces] Abstract Researchers investigated the potential use of echinochrome A (EchA) for inducing cardiomyocyte differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cells. They also assessed the effects of EchA on mitochondrial mass, inner membrane potential, reactive oxygen species generation, and levels of Ca2+. [Mar Drugs] Full Article SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLSMetastatic Cancers Promote Cachexia through ZIP14 Upregulation in Skeletal Muscle The authors identified the metal-ion transporter ZRT- and IRT-like protein 14 (ZIP14) as a critical mediator of cancer-induced cachexia. ZIP14 was upregulated in cachectic muscles of mice and in patients with metastatic cancer and could be induced by TNF-α and TGF-β cytokines. [Nat Med] Abstract | Press Release Scientists demonstrated that SOXF factors regulate satellite cell quiescence, self-renewal and differentiation. Moreover, ablation of Sox17 in the muscle lineage impaired postnatal muscle growth and regeneration. [eLife] Abstract | Download Full Article PAX3-FOXO1 Transgenic Zebrafish Models Identify HES3 as a Mediator of Rhabdomyosarcoma Tumorigenesis Researchers developed human PAX3-FOXO1 -driven zebrafish models of tumorigenesis and found that PAX3-FOXO1 exhibits discrete cell lineage susceptibility and transformation. This novel zebrafish rhabdomyosarcoma model identified a new PAX3-FOXO1 target, her3/HES3, that contributes to impaired myogenic differentiation and has prognostic significance in human disease. [eLife] Abstract | Download Full Article | Press Release Scientists systematically investigated for the first time the characteristics of mouse satellite cells at ten different ages. They indicated that the number and differentiation capacity of satellite cells decreased with age during skeletal muscle development. [Aging Cell] Full Article Perfect Chronic Skeletal Muscle Regeneration in Adult Spiny Mice, Acomys cahirinus The authors investigated the regenerative properties of the skeletal muscle of A. cahirinus tibialis anterior (TA) in comparison to the lab mouse, Mus musculus. After multiple rounds of muscle regeneration the M. musculus TA failed to regenerate muscle fibres and instead produced a large numbers of adipocytes whereas the A. cahirinus TA regenerated perfectly. [Sci Rep] Full Article SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLSInvestigators showed that H2A.Z occupies genomic regions near vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) marker genes and its occupancy was decreased in VSMCs undergoing dedifferentiation. [Circulation] Abstract Effect of Loading History on Airway Smooth Muscle Cell-Matrix Adhesions Researchers developed two closely related theoretical models to study adhesion dynamics in response to oscillatory loading of the extracellular matrix, representing the dynamic environment of airway smooth muscle cells in vivo. [Biophys J] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSTherapeutic Approaches for Cardiac Regeneration and Repair The authors discuss current therapeutic approaches for cardiac repair and regeneration, describing outcomes, limitations, and future prospects of preclinical and clinical trials of heart regeneration. Substantial progress has been made towards understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating heart regeneration, offering the potential to control cardiac remodelling and redirect the adult heart to a regenerative state. [Nat Rev Cardiol] Abstract Harnessing Cell Pluripotency for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Researchers discuss recent advances in cardiac-cell differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells and in the direct reprogramming of non-myocyte cells for cardiovascular regenerative applications. [Nat Biomed Eng] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the muscle cell research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSargenx Receives Feedback from FDA in End-of-Phase II Meeting for Efgartigimod in Myasthenia Gravis argenx announced the receipt of guidance from the FDA following an End-of-Phase II meeting. The company has identified the key elements of the trial design and CMC framework of the Phase III program to support a Biologics License Application for efgartigimod in generalized myasthenia gravis. [argenx] Press Release New Lab Technology Could Reveal Treatments for Muscle-Wasting Disease The new approach uses the latest advances in gene editing and stem cell technology to develop a model of human cells with Duchenne muscular dystrophy which mimic what happens in a patient’s muscles. The team will be using ‘induced pluripotent stem cells’ – adult cells which have been reprogrammed to an embryonic state, so that they can grow to become any type of cell in the body – in this case, skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. [Queen Mary University of London] Press Release | Video | |
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POLICY NEWSChina Introduces Sweeping Reforms to Crack Down on Academic Misconduct China is getting tough on scientific misconduct. The country’s most powerful bodies, the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council, introduced a raft of reforms on 30 May aimed at improving integrity across the research spectrum, from funding and job applications to peer-review and publications. [Nature News] Editorial More Restrictive U.S. Policy on Chinese Graduate Student Visas Raises Alarm Reversing yet another policy of the previous administration, the U.S. Department of State began applying tougher restrictions on some Chinese graduate students. The new policy shortens from five years to one year the duration of visas for those planning to study aviation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Leading Salk Scientist Resigns after Allegations of Harassment The prominent cancer biologist Inder Verma unconditionally resigned from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, June 6, and the research institute’s board of trustees voted unanimously to accept his resignation. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Go for Launch: A Former Astronaut Becomes Spain’s Science Minister Spain has a ministry of science again—and none other than the first Spanish astronaut is leading it. The new transition government led by socialist Pedro Sánchez announced that Pedro Duque, who visited space twice, will be at the helm of the newly created Ministry for Science, Innovation, and Universities. The announcement was cheered by the Spanish scientific community, which has long suffered from declining budgets and bureaucratic hurdles. [ScienceInsider] Editorial EU to World: Join Our €100-Billion Research Program The European Commission has outlined how it plans to spend the biggest research and innovation budget in its history. In a document that sets out plans for its next major science-funding program, the Commission also confirmed new rules that will, for the first time, allow any country in the world — including a post-Brexit United Kingdom — to take part. [Nature News] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Cell Symposia: Translation of Stem Cells to the Clinic: Challenges and Opportunities Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell-Based Cardiac Regeneration (Karolinska Institutet) Canada Excellence Research Chair – Cardiac Regeneration (University of Toronto) Senior Scientist/Scientist – Cardiac Differentiation and Cardiac Tissue Engineering (Novoheart) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Stem Cell Research (University of Maryland School of Medicine) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Biology (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation) Postdoctoral Researcher – Heart Muscle Cells (Universitatsklinikum Munster) Postdoctoral Fellow – Human Skeletal Muscle Disease Modeling and Regeneration (Duke University) Postdoctoral Fellow – hiPSC Based Cardiac Regeneration (Duke University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (Stanford University) Postdoctoral Position – Cancer, Immunotherapy, and Fibrosis (University of Alabama at Birmingham) 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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