Volume 9.31 | Aug 13 - ESC & iPSC News

ESC & iPSC News 9.31 August 13, 2014

TOP STORY

Dynamic Regulation of Human Endogenous Retroviruses Mediates Factor-Induced Reprogramming and Differentiation Potential
Scientists show that dynamic regulation of human endogenous retroviruses is important in the reprogramming process toward induced pluripotent stem cells, and in re-establishment of differentiation potential. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Directed Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells - A Cell Stem Cell Poster

PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Inflammatory Cytokines Promote the Retrodifferentiation of Tumor-Derived Hepatocyte-Like Cells to Progenitor Cells
Researchers report the mechanisms and molecular effectors involved in the retrodifferentiation of tumor-derived HepaRG hepatocyte-like cells (HepaRG-tdHep) into bipotent progenitors. Gene expression profiling was used to identify genomic changes during the retrodifferentiation of HepaRG-tdHep into progenitors. [Hepatology] Abstract

Targeted Correction of RUNX1 Mutation in FPD Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Rescues Megakaryopoietic Defects
Researchers derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from two patients in a family with familial platelet disorder (FPD) with predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia, and found that the FPD iPSCs display defects in megakaryocytic differentiation in vitro. [Blood] Abstract

A System for Genome-Wide Histone Variant Dynamics in ES Cells Reveals Dynamic MacroH2A2 Replacement at Promoters
Investigators extended a pulse-chase strategy for carrying out genome-wide measurements of histone dynamics to several histone variants in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and somatic tissues, recapitulating expected characteristics of the well characterized H3.3 histone variant. [PLoS Genet] Full Article

High Glucose-Induced Hyperosmolarity Impacts Proliferation, Cytoskeleton Remodeling and Migration of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells via Aquaporin-1
Researchers investigated whether high glucose-induced hyperosmolarity impacts proliferation, migration, expression of pluripotency markers and actin skeleton remodeling in induced pluripotent stem cells in an aquaporin-1-dependent manner. [Biochim Biophys Acta] Abstract

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Represses the Activity of Enhancers in Embryonic Stem Cells: A New Epigenetic Signature for Gene Regulation
Scientists found a group of distal transcription factor binding sites highly enriched for 5-hdroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), but lacking any known activating histone marks and being depleted for nascent transcripts, suggesting a repressive role for 5hmC in mouse embryonic stem cells. [BMC Genomics] Full Article

Generation of Rat Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from a New Model of Metabolic Syndrome
Investigators aimed to establish rat induced pluripotent stem cells from mesenchymal stromal cells in adipose tissues of DahlS.Z-Lepr^fa/Lepr^fa rats and their lean littermates, DahlS.Z-Lepr⁺/Lepr⁺ rats using lentivirus vectors with only three factors Oct4, Klf4, and Sox2 without c-Myc. [PLoS One] Full Article

Human Embryonic Stem Cells Show Low-Grade Microsatellite Instability
Given the parallels between cancer and stem cell biology, researchers investigated the occurrence of a common form of genome instability in tumors, namely microsatellite instability, in human embryonic stem cells. [Mol Hum Reprod] Abstract

A Simple and Efficient Method for Transfecting Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Using Polyethylenimine
The authors describe conditions that permit for the efficient transfection of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with low cytotoxicity and without the need for specialized equipment. Their goal was to devise a protocol for the polyethylenimine-mediated transfection of mouse ESCs that was comparable in ease to commercial transfection reagents. [Exp Cell Res] Abstract

Sodium Butyrate Efficiently Converts Fully Reprogrammed Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Partially Reprogrammed Cells
Investigators established three induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and two pre-iPSC lines induced by the doxycycline (dox)-inducible lentiviral system. In the pre-iPSC lines maintained under dox treatment, a small portion of embryonic stem cell-like colonies spontaneously emerged after dox withdrawal, and major differentiation into fibroblast-like cells occurred. [Cell Reprogramm] Abstract

New TeSR™-E8™ is Here For Feeder-Free Culture of Human ES Cells and iPS Cells

REVIEWS

DLK1-DIO3 Imprinted Cluster in Induced Pluripotency: Landscape in the Mist
To date there is no marker established able to distinguish embryonic stem cell-equivalent induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) or safe human iPSCs. Recent findings suggest that the DLK1-DIO3 locus possesses the potential to represent such a marker but there are also contradictory data. The authors report the current data on the topic describing both sides of the coin. [Cell Mol Life Sci] Abstract

Role of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Its Effects on Embryonic Stem Cells
The authors describe the underlying mechanisms of important epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) factors, indicating a precise role for EMT in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and characterize the relationship between EMT and ESCs. [Exp Mol Med] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Joel Blanchard Receives Stem Cell Research Poster Award
Joel Blanchard received the 2014 Betty Jean Ogawa Memorial Poster Award at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Blanchard’s poster was titled “Deprogramming, Reprogramming: Uncovering Mechanisms and Inducers of Pluripotency via Combinatorial Antibody Screening.” [The Scripps Research Institute] Press Release

Cesca Therapeutics and Fortis Healthcare Announce Master Collaboration Agreement
Cesca Therapeutics and Fortis Healthcare Limited announced a master collaboration agreement that extends their important existing relationship. The agreement affirms Cesca’s cellular therapy and cord blood bank at the Fortis Hospital Memorial Research Institute, renews the cord blood banking collaboration and launches the stem cell therapy services for hematological diseases across the Fortis network. [Cesca Therapeutics Inc.]
Press Release

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POLICY NEWS

Patent or Perish? Jeers Greet Proposal to Tie Australia’s Academic Science Funding to Patents
A senior minister’s suggestion that the Australian government may consider tying science funding for universities to the number of patents they generate is drawing a sharp reaction from the nation’s academic research community and some opposition politicians. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Student May Be Jailed for Posting Scientist’s Thesis on Web
A Colombian biology student is facing up to eight years in jail and a fine for sharing a thesis by another scientist on a social network. Diego Gómez Hoyos posted the 2006 work, about amphibian taxonomy, on Scribd in 2011. But two years later, in 2013, he was notified that the author of the thesis was suing him for violating copyright laws. [Nature News] Editorial

EVENTS

NEW New York Stem Cell Foundation 9^th Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference
October 22-23, 2014
New York City, United States

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

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

NEW Research Technician – Maintenance of Embryonic Stem Cell Lines, Electroporation and Subcloning (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Correction of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated from Patients with Hematologic Genetic Disease (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Position – The Role of Nuclear Organization in Reprogramming the Embryonic Genome (Hubrecht Institute)

PhD Studentship – Epigenetic Control of Cell Identity (Institute of Molecular Biology and Tumor Research)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (Brigham & Women’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School)

Technical Account Manager (GlobalStem)

Stem Cell Research Assistant – iPSC Biology and Genome Editing (Stem Cell Theranostics)

Stem Cell Research Scientist – iPSC Reprogramming and Disease Modeling (Stem Cell Theranostics)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Proteomic Analysis of the Differentiation of Human ESCs or iPSCs (Cornell University)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Immunology/Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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