genetic screen

[Nature Communications] Investigators reported a replenishable female mESC system, Xmas, that allowed rapid assessment of X chromosome inactivation, the epigenetic silencing mechanism of one of the two X chromosomes that enabled dosage compensation in female mammals.

[Nature Communications] Scientists found that Dicer-deficient ESCs had strong proliferation and chromosome segregation defects as well as increased transcription of centromeric satellite repeats, which triggered the interferon response.

[Communications Biology] In order to assess whether other genes implicated in NAD+ metabolism were synthetic lethal with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene defects, scientists carried out a genetic screen, which identified a synthetic lethality between BRCA1 and genetic inhibition of either of two sirtuin enzymes.

[Nature Cell Biology] Scientists showed that Ddx21 was enriched in sprouting venous endothelial cells in response to Vegfc–Flt4 signalling. Ddx21 function was essential for Vegfc–Flt4-driven endothelial cell proliferation.

[Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy] Aflatoxin exposure is a crucial factor in promoting the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals infected with the hepatitis virus. AHR-deficient cells tolerated high concentrations of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), in which AFB1 adduct formation was significantly decreased.

[Nature Communications] The authors used in vivo somatic Cas9 mutagenesis to perform an in vivo forward genetic screen in mice to identify regulators of cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation, the coordinated changes in phenotype and gene expression that occur in neonatal CMs. Mechanistic studies indicated that an epigenetic mark controlled dynamic changes in gene expression required for CM maturation.