Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masaki Kinoshita, Meng Amy Li, Michael Barber, William Mansfield, Sabine Dietmann, Austin Smith
Summary: Genome remethylation is crucial for mammalian development, with a study showing that deficiencies in Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b lead to ES cells developing into trophoblast cells due to failed suppression of Ascl2. Regulating the expression of Ascl2 can impact the transdifferentiation and contribution of ES cells.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yingjie Hang, Xiaoliang Ma, Chunxiao Liu, Siyuan Li, Sixuan Zhang, Ruyan Feng, Qianwen Shang, Qi Liu, Zhaozhao Ding, Xiaoyi Zhang, Liyin Yu, Qiang Lu, Changshun Shao, Hong Chen, Yufang Shi, Jiuyang He, David L. Kaplan
Summary: The development of anisotropic silk protein nanofiber-based hydrogels enables mouse embryonic stem cells to maintain stemness in vitro without the need for leukemia inhibitory factor and mouse embryonic fibroblasts, resulting in superior pluripotency and genetic stability. The hydrogels establish an improved dynamic niche that stimulates autocrine factor secretion and maintains pluripotency and propagation of ESCs, offering a simple and cost-effective option for expansion and utility of ESCs in research and therapy, while providing insights into early mammalian embryogenesis.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yahong Wu, Weiwei Zhang
Summary: Pluripotent stem cells, including ESCs and iPSCs, are crucial for studying early development and treating diseases, with ubiquitination playing a key role in pluripotency regulation, particularly through the actions of E3 ligases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Xin-Chun Yang, Xiao-Long Wu, Wen-Hao Li, Xiao-Jie Wu, Qiao-Yan Shen, Yun-Xiang Li, Sha Peng, Jin-Lian Hua
Summary: This study investigates the function of OCT6 in porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) and finds that OCT6 promotes the maintenance of pluripotency in piPSCs by activating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and attenuating the adverse effects of ERK signaling pathway inhibition.
ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Anderson Tan, Renuka Prasad, Eek-hoon Jho
Summary: TFEB plays a crucial role in mESCs by regulating PTN to maintain pluripotency, with interactions involving Nanog and Sox2. While high levels of TFEB are expected to enhance autophagy-lysosomal activity, undifferentiated mESCs surprisingly display low basal levels.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Olivieri, Eleonora Castelli, Yumiko K. Kawamura, Panagiotis Papasaikas, Ilya Lukonin, Melanie Rittirsch, Daniel Hess, Sebastien A. Smallwood, Michael B. Stadler, Antoine H. F. M. Peters, Joerg Betschinger
Summary: Mouse embryonic stem cells are biased towards producing embryonic endoderm rather than extraembryonic endoderm, which is regulated by transcriptional repressors Hdac3 and Dax1. Pluripotency factors Nr5a2 and Esrrb promote cell type conversion, and perturbation of the barrier extends mESC potency. This study shows that transcriptional repressors stabilize pluripotency by biasing the equilibrium between embryonic and extraembryonic lineages in mESCs.
Article
Cell Biology
Shahnaz Babaei-Abraki, Fereshteh Karamali, Mohammad Hossein Nasr-Esfahani
Summary: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to differentiate into different types of cells, making them a valuable source for therapeutic applications. However, hESCs are prone to cell death after dissociation, which hinders their use. Recent research has found that hESCs can undergo a form of programmed cell death called ferroptosis, which is different from previously observed cell death processes. Ferroptosis is triggered by an increase in intracellular iron, and it is distinct from other forms of cell death in terms of its biochemical, morphological, and genetic characteristics.
CELLULAR SIGNALLING
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yao Yi, Yingying Zeng, Tsz Wing Sam, Kiyofumi Hamashima, Rachel Jun Rou Tan, Tushar Warrier, Jun Xiang Phua, Reshma Taneja, Yih-Cherng Liou, Hu Li, Jian Xu, Yuin-Han Loh
Summary: A sub-population of mESCs, known as 2-cell-like cells, is identified by the expression of MERVL and 2C transcripts. This study reveals that ribosomal proteins (RPs) RPL14, RPL18, and RPL23 are crucial for maintaining mESC identity and regulating the expression of 2C transcripts. Disruption of RPs leads to DUX-dependent activation of 2C transcripts and changes in chromatin structure. Mechanistically, knockdown of RPs enhances the binding of RPL11 to MDM2, preventing P53 protein degradation and activating downstream pathways, including DUX. This study uncovers the important roles of RPs in 2C transcript activation and provides new insights into their functions.
Review
Cell Biology
Wei Fan, Xiaoling Li
Summary: SIRT1 is a crucial NAD(+)-dependent protein deacetylase in mammals, involved in the metabolic and epigenetic regulation of stem cells through deacetylation of transcriptional factors and co-factors. It forms a positive feedback loop with c-Myc, which is important in tumorigenesis. Recent research has uncovered the significance of the SIRT1-c-Myc axis in the regulation of maintenance and differentiation of various stem cells. This review highlights the recent advances in understanding the role of the SIRT1-c-Myc axis in stem cells.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kazuko Okamoto, Hideaki Fujita, Yasushi Okada, Soya Shinkai, Shuichi Onami, Kuniya Abe, Kenta Fujimoto, Kensuke Sasaki, Go Shioi, Tomonobu M. Watanabe
Summary: Nanog and Oct4 are core transcription factors that regulate pluripotency maintenance in mouse ESCs. The interaction time between Nanog and its target loci increases upon reduced expression or differentiation onset, suggesting a feedback mechanism for pluripotency maintenance. The expression level and interaction frequency of Nanog and Oct4 are correlated with their fluctuation and depend on ESC differentiation status. The DNA viscoelasticity near Oct4 target locus remains flexible during differentiation, supporting its role in chromatin opening or binding to uncondensed regions. These findings propose a new negative feedback mechanism for pluripotency maintenance via the DNA condensation state-dependent interplay of Nanog and Oct4.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kang-Xuan Jin, Rujuan Zuo, Konstantinos Anastassiadis, Arne Klungland, Carsten Marr, Adam Filipczyk
Summary: This study investigates the impact of m(6)A deposition on mRNA on the fate of pluripotent stem cells, revealing that it regulates cell fate through modulation of mRNA stability. The results show that m(6)A depletion activates pErk and pAkt signaling pathways, affecting both the maintenance of pluripotency and lineage commitment decisions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Oliver Brookes, Stephen D. Thorpe, Olga Rigby Evans, Michael C. Keeling, David A. Lee
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between biomechanical properties and pluripotency gene expression in murine embryonic stem cells, revealing considerable variation among cells, with high pluripotency gene expression correlating to lower cell stiffness.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Seong-Min Kim, Eun-Ji Kwon, Yun-Jeong Kim, Young-Hyun Go, Ji-Young Oh, Seokwoo Park, Jeong Tae Do, Keun-Tae Kim, Hyuk-Jin Cha
Summary: This study discovered the differential roles of Shp2 in naive and primed pluripotency and proposed the usage of iShp2 instead of iMek1 for the efficient maintenance and establishment of naive pluripotency.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Veronika V. Ermakova, Nikita P. Fokin, Nikolay D. Aksenov, Evgeny I. Bakhmet, Ekaterina V. Aleksandrova, Andrey A. Kuzmin, Alexey N. Tomilin
Summary: The transcription factor Oct4 plays a critical role in maintaining pluripotency and can reprogram somatic cells into a pluripotent state. Identifying the genetic elements that regulate the Oct4-encoding gene, Pou5f1, is important for understanding pluripotency regulation. This study shows that translocating a fragment of the Pou5f1 gene impairs the self-renewal and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells, indicating the presence of critical regulatory elements outside the previously determined boundaries of Pou5f1.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Puja Agrawal, Sridhar Rao
Summary: Cell fate decisions rely on gene expression changes mediated by regulatory elements like enhancers and CTCF binding sites. These elements play crucial roles in early mammalian development and impact cell-type specific gene expression.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Keishi Otsu, Hiroko Ida-Yonemochi, Shojiro Ikezaki, Masatsugu Ema, Jiro Hitomi, Hayato Ohshima, Hidemitsu Harada
Summary: Oxygen plays a crucial role in regulating the proliferation of epithelial stem cells by maintaining slow-cycling cells in a relatively hypoxic microenvironment, and the upregulation of HIF1 alpha during hypoxia triggers a downstream signaling pathway that inhibits cell proliferation.
Article
Biology
Tra Thi Huong Dinh, Hiroyoshi Iseki, Seiya Mizuno, Saori Iijima-Mizuno, Yoko Tanimoto, Yoko Daitoku, Kanako Kato, Yuko Hamada, Ammar Shaker Hamed Hasan, Hayate Suzuki, Kazuya Murata, Masafumi Muratani, Masatsugu Ema, Jun-Dal Kim, Junji Ishida, Akiyoshi Fukamizu, Mitsuyasu Kato, Satoru Takahashi, Ken-ichi Yagami, Valerie Wilson, Ruth M. Arkell, Fumihiro Sugiyama
Summary: This study found that disruption of Cables2 led to growth retardation and enhanced apoptosis in mice embryos, ultimately resulting in embryonic lethality. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed down-regulation of Rps21 and up-regulation of p53-target genes, suggesting their involvement in the embryonic lethality.
Article
Biology
Yuki Osawa, Kazuya Murata, Miho Usui, Yumeno Kuba, Hoai Thu Le, Natsuki Mikami, Toshinori Nakagawa, Yoko Daitoku, Kanako Kato, Hossam Hassan Shawki, Yoshihisa Ikeda, Akihiro Kuno, Kento Morimoto, Yoko Tanimoto, Tra Thi Huong Dinh, Ken-ichi Yagami, Masatsugu Ema, Shosei Yoshida, Satoru Takahashi, Seiya Mizuno, Fumihiro Sugiyama
Summary: EXOC1, a member of the Exocyst complex, plays a crucial role in the pseudopod formation of spermatogonia and spermatocyte syncytia in mice. This finding may serve as a starting point for uncovering many other morphological regulators of male germ cells.
Article
Surgery
Mohamed Abdelhakim, Teruyuki Dohi, Mizuho Yamato, Hiroya Takada, Atsushi Sakai, Hidenori Suzuki, Masatsugu Ema, Shigetomo Fukuhara, Rei Ogawa
Summary: By utilizing the Flt1-tdsRed transgenic mouse model, researchers successfully visualized neovascularization in skin grafts, with peak neovascularization observed on day 9 post-transplantation.
PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vasanthan Jayakumar, Osamu Nishimura, Mitsutaka Kadota, Naoki Hirose, Hiromi Sano, Yasuhiro Murakawa, Yumiko Yamamoto, Masataka Nakaya, Tomoyuki Tsukiyama, Yasunari Seita, Shinichiro Nakamura, Jun Kawai, Erika Sasaki, Masatsugu Ema, Shigehiro Kuraku, Hideya Kawaji, Yasubumi Sakakibara
Summary: This study performed de novo genome assembly of cynomolgus macaque and common marmoset, achieving high scaffold N50 lengths. The assembly of cynomolgus macaque outperformed all available assemblies in terms of contiguity, providing valuable resources for non-human primate models.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Shinji Kumegawa, Gen Yamada, Daiki Hashimoto, Tsuyoshi Hirashima, Mizuki Kajimoto, Kyoichi Isono, Kota Fujimoto, Kentaro Suzuki, Kazuhisa Uemura, Masatsugu Ema, Shinichi Asamura
Summary: This study introduced a novel surgery model for observing post-surgical lymphatic vasculature formation and found that fine (neo) lymphatic vasculature elongation was suggested during the edematous recovery process. The generation of neo blood vessels adjacent to the silicone sheet and the operated boundary region was also observed in 3D reconstruction images. It was concluded that LSFM and 3D histological structural reconstruction methods are suitable for revealing fixed structures of blood and lymphatic vessels formation in post-surgical analysis.
BIOLOGICAL PROCEDURES ONLINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masanaga Muto, Damayanti Chakraborty, Kaela M. Varberg, Ayelen Moreno-Irusta, Khursheed Iqbal, Regan L. Scott, Ross P. McNally, Ruhul H. Choudhury, John D. Aplin, Hiroaki Okae, Takahiro Arima, Shoma Matsumoto, Masatsugu Ema, Alan E. Mast, Elin Grundberg, Michael J. Soares
Summary: TFPI is shown to play a crucial role in processes such as embryonic development and trophoblast cell differentiation. Experimental results in rat and human models demonstrate that TFPI plays a significant regulatory role in the differentiation of trophoblast cells into invasive cells and extravillous trophoblast cells.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atsushi Ueda, Motoki Osawa, Haruaki Naito, Eriko Ochiai, Yu Kakimoto
Summary: Extensive genotyping of PHOX2B in 93 SUID cases revealed no polyalanine tract expansion but identified a non-polyalanine repeat mutation associated with sudden unexpected death in a one-month-old male infant. This finding suggests a potential link between CCHS and forensic autopsy cases without ante-mortem diagnosis.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Motoki Osawa, Haruka Ikeda, Atsushi Ueda, Haruaki Naito, Ryoko Nagao, Yu Kakimoto
Summary: This article describes two autopsy cases of sudden unexpected death in infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) during sleep after tube feeding. Immunohistochemical examination revealed marked immune-staining for infant formula in one case, while no positive staining was observed in the other case. Based on clinical symptoms and autopsy findings, it was inferred that fatal regurgitation occurred in one PWS infant after tube feeding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Yu Kakimoto, Haruka Ikeda, Yutaka Matsushima, Akio Tsuboi, Atsushi Ueda, Shotaro Isozaki, Motoki Osawa
Summary: Electrocution as a method of homicide is uncommon in forensic science, and determining the cause of death becomes challenging when the electric device is no longer at the crime scene. This report presents a case where the police initially could not confirm homicide. The perpetrator used handmade electrode plates, resulting in distinctive electric marks different from those caused by common electrical devices. This is the first reported case of homicide by electrocution using electrode plates and the findings are valuable to forensic practitioners.
FORENSIC SCIENCE MEDICINE AND PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Yu Kakimoto, Atsushi Ueda, Masatoshi Ito, Masayuki Tanaka, Tomoko Kubota, Shotaro Isozaki, Motoki Osawa
Summary: Proteomic analysis can differentiate between acquired cardiac hypertrophy and compensated cardiac hypertrophy, which is important for the postmortem diagnosis of sudden cardiac death in middle-aged and older individuals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomoki Kimura, Haruna Kawano, Satoru Muto, Nobuhito Muramoto, Toshiaki Takano, Yan Lu, Hidetaka Eguchi, Hiroo Wada, Yasushi Okazaki, Hisamitsu Ide, Shigeo Horie
Summary: This study investigated the prognostic utility of genetic mutations in predicting renal function outcomes in Japanese patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The results showed that PKD1 mutation is a biomarker for predicting renal prognosis in ADPKD patients.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Rina Tajima, Atsuko Okazaki, Tsuyoshi Sato, Kokoro Ozaki, Daisuke Motooka, Yasushi Okazaki, Tetsuya Yoda
Summary: Limited mouth opening is a characteristic of masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia (MMTAH) with suspected genetic involvement. This study conducted whole genome sequencing of MMTAH patients and identified 51 genes with rare variants. Among these genes, 37 have not been reported to be causative for human genetic diseases. PCDH1 and BAIAP3 were identified as candidate causative genes of MMTAH. These findings contribute to understanding the genetic landscape of MMTAH and provide insights for future tendon regeneration treatment.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Naohisa Yoshida, Hideki Ishikawa, Hidetaka Eguchi, Yasushi Okazaki, Ryohei Hirose, Ken Inoue, Osamu Dohi, Yoshito Itoh, Michihiro Mutoh, Shingo Ishiguro, Hideyuki Ishida
Summary: This is a report on a pair of dizygotic twins with atypical colorectal polyposis. The report suggests that smoking is related to the development of colorectal polyps, and explains how the presence or absence of smoking affected the development of polyps in the brothers.
CASE REPORTS IN GASTROENTEROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mizuki Kobayashi, Yuichi Suzuki, Maki Nodera, Ayako Matsunaga, Masakazu Kohda, Yasushi Okazaki, Kei Murayama, Takanori Yamagata, Hitoshi Osaka
Summary: Biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease (BBGD) with SLC19A3 mutation is a rare condition that can present in neonates and infants. Early treatment is crucial for a favorable outcome.
HUMAN GENOME VARIATION
(2022)
