Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ziyi Hua, Shuang Li, Qianzi Liu, Minxuan Yu, Mengling Liao, Hongmei Zhang, Xuerong Xiang, Qingqing Wu
Summary: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) can promote osteogenic differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs). LIPUS works best at an intensity of 40 mW/cm(2) and a duty cycle of 50%. This study demonstrates the pro-osteogenic effect of LIPUS on iMSCs for the first time.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Hai-Tao Luo, Qian He, Wei Yang, Fei He, Jun Dong, Chao-Feng Hu, Xiao-Fei Yang, Ning Li, Fu-Rong Li
Summary: Understanding the role of lncRNAs in the differentiation process of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is crucial for developing cell-based therapies. This study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to reveal specific expression patterns of lncRNAs during hESC differentiation, and identified the lncRNA HOTAIRM1 as a key regulator in the generation of pancreatic progenitors.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Hayato Kawabata, Ayumu Konno, Yasunori Matsuzaki, Hirokazu Hirai
Summary: Upon systemic administration, AAV9 and PHP.eB show specific tropism for the central nervous system (CNS), while AAV2 and the BR1 variant transduce brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) to a lesser degree. This study demonstrates that a single amino acid substitution in the BR1 capsid (BR1N) significantly enhances its ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). BR1N exhibits higher CNS tropism compared to BR1 and AAV9, indicating that receptor binding alone does not determine in vivo outcomes and further improvements to capsids with specific receptor usage are possible.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
In-Kyu Lee, Allison L. Ludwig, M. Joseph Phillips, Juhwan Lee, Ruosen Xie, Benjamin S. Sajdak, Lindsey D. Jager, Shaoqin Gong, David M. Gamm, Zhenqiang Ma
Summary: Polymeric scaffolds are being used in therapeutics for blinding disorders affecting the outer retina, with recent advances in engineering producing optimized structures for retinal pigment epithelium delivery. A new biodegradable scaffold patterned for high-density photoreceptor replacement has been developed, which may have applications in multicellular layers for outer retinal reconstruction and other tissues. This approach could also be useful for producing various micro- and nanoscale structures for multilayered cell delivery.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Hani Jieun Kim, Michelle O'Hara-Wright, Daniel Kim, To Ha Loi, Benjamin Y. Lim, Robyn V. Jamieson, Anai Gonzalez-Cordero, Pengyi Yang
Summary: Characterizing cell identities in the human retina is important for studying its development and disease. This study evaluated the fidelity of retinal organoids in mimicking the human eye by systematically assessing the molecular and cellular characteristics of both the organoids and human eye tissues. The results provided new biomarkers for major retinal cell types and insights into the maturation process, allowing for comprehensive benchmarking of current protocols for retinal organoid generation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Suguru Yamasaki, Hung-Ya Tu, Take Matsuyama, Matsuri Horiuchi, Tomoyo Hashiguchi, Junki Sho, Atsushi Kuwahara, Akiyoshi Kishino, Toru Kimura, Masayo Takahashi, Michiko Mandai
Summary: A study found that genetically modified human embryonic stem cell (hESC) retinas, when transplanted into rat retinas, showed improved contact with the host retina and restored light responsiveness in host ganglion cells. The improved functional integration was attributed to better host-graft contact and preservation of the host inner retina.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zaniar Ghazizadeh, Jiajun Zhu, Faranak Fattahi, Alice Tang, Xiaolu Sun, Sadaf Amin, Su-Yi Tsai, Mona Khalaj, Ting Zhou, Ryan M. Samuel, Tuo Zhang, Francis A. Ortega, Miriam Gordillo, Dorota Moroziewicz, Daniel Paull, Scott A. Noggle, Jenny Zhaoying Xiang, Lorenz Studer, David J. Christini, Geoffrey S. Pitt, Todd Evans, Shuibing Chen
Summary: Researchers developed a dual reporter system that enables efficient derivation of SAN-like cells and exploration of their single-cell transcriptional profile. This has potential applications in disease modeling and drug discovery.
Article
Cell Biology
Yuxiao Zeng, Minghui Li, Ting Zou, Xi Chen, Qiyou Li, Yijian Li, Lingling Ge, Siyu Chen, Haiwei Xu
Summary: The study demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure affected the formation of neural retina derived from hEROs, leading to reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis. Transcriptome analysis showed that PM2.5 treatment was linked to MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways, and reduced the level of FGFs, particularly FGF8 and FGF10, suggesting potential inhibition of proliferation and increase of apoptosis during early human retinal development.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Tian-Tian Ji, Shuai-Shuai Niu, Ming-Hui Fang, Ling-Xue Xu, Xin Wang, Jun Wu, Fei Xu, Meng Zhang, Rui Niu, Jun Wu, Lei Wang, Zhi-Kun Li, Yong-Guang Yang, Jie Hao, Wei Li, Zheng Hu, Qi Zhou
Summary: By customizing the immunocompatible hESC cell line based on Chinese HLA typing characteristics and introducing a suicide gene, we have improved the safety of the hESC-based therapies. The results showed that this cell line exhibited weaker immune response to HLA-A11-positive T cells and maintained inhibitory signals to NK cells. This approach provides a basis for establishing a global HLA-A bank of hESCs and may accelerate the clinical application of hESC-based therapies.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Margaret E. Maes, Gabriele M. Wogenstein, Gloria Colombo, Raquel Casado-Polanco, Sandra Siegert
Summary: This study demonstrates that modifying the AAV6 capsid can enhance microglial transduction in the outer plexiform layer, validated in the retina as a model system, and highlights the significant influence of environmental conditions on microglial transduction efficiency.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Eleonora Stronati, Servando Giraldez, Ling Huang, Elizabeth Abraham, Gillian R. McGuire, Hui-Ting Hsu, Kathy A. Jones, Conchi Estaras
Summary: This study investigates the role of YAP1 in the formation of germ layers. YAP1 inhibits Nodal signaling by directly repressing key genes, leading to impaired ectoderm differentiation.
Article
Biology
Hui Zhong, Ran Zhang, Guihuan Li, Ping Huang, Yudan Zhang, Jieying Zhu, Junqi Kuang, Andrew P. Hutchins, Dajiang Qin, Ping Zhu, Duanqing Pei, Dongwei Li
Summary: Loss of c-JUN leads to early mouse embryonic death, possibly due to abnormal cardiac development. Its role in human cardiomyocyte cell fate remains unknown. In this study, the knockout of c-JUN surprisingly improved cardiomyocyte generation by modulating chromatin accessibility and H3K4me3 modification, providing insights into the regulation of heart development.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Lea Flippe, Anne Gaignerie, Celine Serazin, Olivier Baron, Xavier Saulquin, Ignacio Anegon, Laurent David, Carole Guillonneau
Summary: Immunotherapy using primary T cells has greatly improved medical care in recent years, but limitations such as challenging cell genome editing and lack of standardized products have restricted its clinical use. The use of T cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells offers advantages of genetic modification and standardized allogeneic products. However, more research is needed to fully understand the feasibility and functionality of these T cells before clinical applications. This study successfully generated T cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating the potential for therapeutic use and treatment of various diseases.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Faiza Farhan, Manjari Trivedi, Priscilla Di Wu, Wei Cui
Summary: This study found that HLCs cultured with collagen showed increased albumin and alpha-1 anti-trypsin expression, reduced AFP, and higher urea secretion compared to HLCs cultured with Matrigel. However, collagen-cultured HLCs exhibited lower CYP3A4 activity and glycogen storage than Matrigel-cultured HLCs. The functional differences in HLCs between collagen and Matrigel cultures resemble hepatic zonation in the liver lobules.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhe Cha, Zhiyuan Yin, A. Luodan, Lingling Ge, Junling Yang, Xiaona Huang, Hui Gao, Xia Chen, Zhou Feng, Lingyue Mo, Juncai He, Shuang Zhu, Maoru Zhao, Zui Tao, Zhanjun Gu, Haiwei Xu
Summary: This study established a MG lineage-tracing mouse model of light-induced retinal damage and found that Fullerol exhibited superior protection against light-induced retinal injury. Fullerol protected the retina by inhibiting gliosis through suppressing the TGF-beta pathway and enhancing the de-differentiation of MG cells. Transcription candidate pathways, including Nrf2 and Wnt10a pathways, were involved in Fullerol-induced neuroprotection.
Article
Virology
Amos Markus, Linoy Golani, Nishant Kumar Ojha, Tatiana Borodiansky-Shteinberg, Paul R. Kinchington, Ronald S. Goldstein
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2017)
Article
Virology
Punam Bisht, Biswajit Das, Paul R. Kinchington, Ronald S. Goldstein
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Biswajit Das, Punam Bisht, Paul R. Kinchington, Ronald S. Goldstein
Summary: This study shows that LNAA targeting specific VZVsncRNA can effectively inhibit virus replication, suggesting LNAA as a potential novel treatment for HZ.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Virology
Betty W. Wu, Michael B. Yee, Ronald S. Goldstein, Paul R. Kinchington
Summary: In this study, the potential of using genome editors delivered by adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to treat Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) was evaluated. The results showed that treatment with AAV2-expressing Staphylococcus aureus CRISPR/Cas9 greatly reduced VZV replication and cell-to-cell spread in epithelial cells and lytically infected human neurons. This approach has the potential to be a strategy for the treatment of VZV disease and virus spread in Herpes Zoster (HZ).
Article
Virology
Punam Bisht, Biswajit Das, Tatiana Borodianskiy-Shteinberg, Paul R. Kinchington, Ronald S. Goldstein
Summary: By altering the non-coding RNA of varicella zoster virus, we found that these RNA may play important roles in the latency of the virus.
Article
Ophthalmology
He-Yan Li, Li Dong, Xu-Han Shi, Rui-Heng Zhang, Wen-Da Zhou, Hao-Tian Wu, Chu-Yao Yu, Yi-Tong Li, Yi-Fan Li, Jost B. Jonas, Wen-Bin Wei, Yue-Ming Liu
Summary: This study aimed to examine the intraocular tolerability of cetuximab when applied intravitreally, and its effect on axial elongation. The results showed that intravitreal injections of cetuximab could reduce axial elongation in a dose-dependent and number of treatment-dependent manner, without causing intraocular toxic effects.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
James D. Cole, John A. McDaniel, Joelle Nilak, Ashley Ban, Carlos Rodriguez, Zuhaad Hameed, Marta Grannonico, Peter A. Netland, Hu Yang, Ignacio Provencio, Xiaorong Liu
Summary: Aniridia is a panocular condition characterized by the loss of iris, caused mainly by mutations in the PAX6 gene. This study assessed the effects of Pax6-haploinsufficiency on retinal morphology and vision in Pax6Sey mice. The results showed elevated intraocular pressure and declining visual acuity in Pax6Sey mice, along with local retinal damage and a possible neuroinflammatory response.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
Subao Jiang, Ning Xia, Francesco Buonfiglio, Elsa W. Boehm, Qi Tang, Norbert Pfeiffer, Dominik Olinger, Huige Li, Adrian Gericke
Summary: This study found that a high-fat diet induces endothelial dysfunction in the ophthalmic artery, leading to impaired vascular function in the eye. The high-fat diet triggers oxidative stress and involves RAGE and NOX2.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Ophthalmology
Mala Upadhyay, Vera L. Bonilha
Summary: The sodium iodate (NaIO3) model is a valuable tool in studying dry AMD and evaluating the retinal structure. Through extensive research, it has been found that the death of RPE cells caused by NaIO3 injection is closely related to vision loss in patients with dry AMD. Therefore, studying NaIO3 can provide insights into the mechanisms of RPE and photoreceptor cell death and contribute to understanding RPE degeneration in AMD.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
Vicki Chrysostomou, Katharina C. Bell, Sze Woei Ng, Samyuktha Suresh, Gayathri Karthik, Marion Millet, Yingying Chung, Jonathan G. Crowston
Summary: We present a new experimental model for inducing retinal ganglion cell (RGC) dysfunction and degeneration in mice. This model allows for the reliable induction of RGC dysfunction and loss, with the resilience of the optic nerve being dependent on the age of the animal. The time-defined nature of the functional and structural changes observed in this model will facilitate the study of glial responses and the evaluation of neuroprotective treatments after intraocular pressure (IOP) injury.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)