Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Shijia Liuyang, Guan Wang, Yanglu Wang, Huanjing He, Yulin Lyu, Lin Cheng, Zhihan Yang, Jingyang Guan, Yao Fu, Jialiang Zhu, Xinxing Zhong, Shicheng Sun, Cheng Li, Jinlin Wang, Hongkui Deng
Summary: We have developed a robust and chemically defined reprogramming protocol that significantly shortens the induction time for generating human pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells. This protocol promotes cell proliferation and metabolic activities, leading to a more direct reprogramming process.
Article
Allergy
Stephan A. Ramos, John J. Morton, Prabha Yadav, Brendan Reed, Sheila Alizadeh, Ali H. Shilleh, Loni Perrenoud, James Jaggers, John Kappler, Antonio Jimeno, Holger A. Russ
Summary: This study successfully developed a refined direct differentiation protocol that generates patient-derived thymic epithelial progenitor cells from multiple induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, which further differentiate into functional patient-derived thymic epithelial cells. These findings provide important insights for researchers studying human thymus biology.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chih-Hsien Wu, Hsuan-Hwai Lin, Yi-Ying Wu, Yi-Lin Chiu, Li-Yen Huang, Cheng-Chung Cheng, Chung-Chi Yang, Tsung-Neng Tsai
Summary: Coronary artery disease is a major global issue. Patients with coronary artery disease often develop peptic ulcers when receiving aspirin treatment, making panendoscopy with biopsy necessary for diagnosis and treatment. A protocol for generating iPSCs from gastric fibroblasts via biopsy was established, with successful differentiation into functional cardiomyocytes demonstrated. This study represents the first in vitro generation of iPSCs from gastric fibroblasts.
Article
Cell Biology
Ying Zhang, Jun Wei, Jiani Cao, Kehua Zhang, Yaojin Peng, Hongkui Deng, Jiuhong Kang, Guangjin Pan, Yong Zhang, Boqiang Fu, Shijun Hu, Jie Na, Yan Liu, Lei Wang, Lingmin Liang, Huanxin Zhu, Yu Zhang, Zi-Bing Jin, Jie Hao, Aijin Ma, Tongbiao Zhao, Junying Yu
Summary: "Requirements for Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells" is the first set of guidelines in China on human-induced pluripotent stem cells. It provides detailed technical requirements and aims to promote international standardization.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Banushree Kumar, Carmen Navarro, Nerges Winblad, John P. Schell, Cheng Zhao, Jere Weltner, Laura Baque-Vidal, Angelo Salazar Mantero, Sophie Petropoulos, Fredrik Lanner, Simon J. Elsasser
Summary: This study reveals the significance of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) in maintaining naive pluripotency and restricting differentiation to trophectoderm and mesoderm lineages. The gain of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) is identified as a distinct feature of naive pluripotency. Inhibition of PRC2 leads to an activated state in which pluripotency and lineage-specific transcription factors are co-expressed, followed by differentiation into either trophectoderm or mesoderm lineages.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, Agnes M. Resto Irizarry, Xufeng Xue, Samuel Byung-Deuk Lee, Yue Shao, Jianping Fu
Summary: Research on controlling the fate of human pluripotent stem cells is challenging, but micro/nanoengineering technologies bring new hope. Biochemical and biomechanical cues play crucial roles in determining the behavior of human pluripotent stem cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Gaoying Sun, Mingming Tang, Xinyue Wang, Da Li, Wenwen Liu, Jianhuan Qi, Haibo Wang, Baoyang Hu
Summary: Researchers have successfully developed a method to generate human otic neuronal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. These organoids provide an ideal model for studying spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) and related disorders, and facilitate the development of therapies for sensorineural hearing loss.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Daichi Onozato, Isamu Ogawa, Yuriko Kida, Shota Mizuno, Tadahiro Hashita, Takahiro Iwao, Tamihide Matsunaga
Summary: Novel budding-like organoids derived from human iPS cells exhibit characteristics of mature small intestine and high expression of drug transporters, showing potential for disease modeling and drug screening applications.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Julia Vallverdu, Raquel A. Martinez Garcia de la Torre, Inge Mannaerts, Stefaan Verhulst, Ayla Smout, Mar Coll, Silvia Arino, Teresa Rubio-Tomas, Beatriz Aguilar-Bravo, Celia Martinez-Sanchez, Delia Blaya, Catherine M. Verfaillie, Leo A. van Grunsven, Pau Sancho-Bru
Summary: Human iPSCs are differentiated into HSCs with growth factors for in vitro modeling. The protocol yields iPSC-HSCs with phenotypic and functional characteristics of primary HSCs, suitable for high-throughput in vitro studies. Coculturing iPSC-HSCs with hepatocytes allows for the formation of 3D hepatic spheroids, enabling modeling and drug screening studies.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jiesi Luo, Yuyao Lin, Xiangyu Shi, Guangxin Li, Mehmet H. Kural, Christopher W. Anderson, Matthew W. Ellis, Muhammad Riaz, George Tellides, Laura E. Niklason, Yibing Qyang
Summary: Research successfully derived functional xenogeneic-free hiPSC-VSMCs by replacing animal-derived reagents with functional counterparts of human origin, and developed tissue rings with comparable mechanical strength. Engineered vascular tissues were generated by seeding XF-hiPSC-VSMCs onto biodegradable PGA scaffolds, suitable for implantation into an immunodeficient mice model.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yunlong Tao, Xueyan Li, Qiping Dong, Linghai Kong, Andrew J. Petersen, Yuanwei Yan, Ke Xu, Seth Zima, Yanru Li, Danielle K. Schmidt, Melvin Ayala, Sakthikumar Mathivanan, Andre M. M. Sousa, Qiang Chang, Su-Chun Zhang
Summary: Researchers have successfully generated central norepinephrine (NE) neurons from stem cells, providing a tool for studying their roles in psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Thi Xuan Ai Pham, Amitesh Panda, Harunobu Kagawa, San Kit To, Cankat Ertekin, Grigorios Georgolopoulos, Sam S. F. A. van Knippenberg, Ryan Nicolaas Allsop, Alexandre Bruneau, Jonathan Sai-Hong Chui, Lotte Vanheer, Adrian Janiszewski, Joel Chappell, Michael Oberhuemer, Raissa Songwa Tchinda, Irene Talon, Sherif Khodeer, Janet Rossant, Frederic Lluis, Laurent David, Nicolas Rivron, Bradley Philip Balaton, Vincent Pasque
Summary: The specification and development of extraembryonic mesoderm (EXM) during primate postimplantation embryogenesis occurs before gastrulation, in contrast to rodents. This study demonstrates that naive human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the ability to differentiate into EXM cells (EXMCs). EXMCs are specified by inhibiting Nodal signaling and GSK3B, and their maintenance relies on mTOR and BMP4 signaling activity. The transcriptome and epigenome of EXMCs closely resemble that of human and monkey embryo EXM, indicating their similarity to in vivo counterparts. This finding has significant implications for modeling and studying early human embryogenesis and related defects.
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Mareike S. Poetsch, Anna Strano, Kaomei Guan
Summary: The potential of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in various fields such as disease modeling, drug screening, personalized medicine, and regenerative therapies is attractive. However, the genetic integrity and epigenetic memory of iPSCs can affect their application.
Review
Cell Biology
Shin-Jeong Lee, Cholomi Jung, Jee Eun Oh, Sangsung Kim, Sangho Lee, Ji Yoon Lee, Young-sup Yoon
Summary: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a lifesaving procedure for anemia and hemoglobin disorders, but faces challenges due to the shortage of blood supply and risks of infection and incompatibility. The use of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), holds promise for generating RBCs. This review discusses the concepts and mechanisms of erythropoiesis, methodologies for differentiating hPSCs into erythrocytes, and the limitations and future directions of using hiPSC-derived erythrocytes in clinical applications.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Camilla Luni, Onelia Gagliano, Nicola Elvassore
Summary: An integrative approach combining microfluidic design and stem cell biology allows for the capture of spatial-temporal environmental changes related to epigenetic remodeling and morphogenetic processes, contributing to significant advances in stem cell engineering.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lorenzo Bova, Federico Maggiotto, Sara Micheli, Monica Giomo, Paolo Sgarbossa, Onelia Gagliano, Dario Falcone, Elisa Cimetta
Summary: This study blends GelMA with PLU to modify the hydrogel's internal porosity and achieve the customization of cell constructs. The blended materials form stable hydrogels when bioprinted in complex structures, and the embedded cells maintain high viability.
MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
M. Cesana, L. Vaccaro, M. J. Larsen, M. Kibaek, L. Micale, S. Riccardo, P. Annunziata, C. Colantuono, L. Di Filippo, D. De Brasi, M. Castori, C. Fagerberg, F. Acquaviva, D. Cacchiarelli
Summary: This study applied integrated genomic approaches to identify a novel neuro-pathogenic role for the MAP4K4 gene by analyzing blood samples of two unrelated individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. The study demonstrated the efficacy of exome and transcriptome sequencing in resolving undiagnosed cases.
Article
Oncology
Angelo Velle, Chiara Pesenti, Tommaso Grassi, Luca Beltrame, Paolo Martini, Marta Jaconi, Federico Agostinis, Enrica Calura, Dionyssios Katsaros, Fulvio Borella, Robert Fruscio, Maurizio D'Incalci, Sergio Marchini, Chiara Romualdi
Summary: In this study, we investigated the expression of isomiRs in different histological subtypes of Stage I epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) for the first time, aiming to gain new insights into their biological role in tumor growth and progression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caterina Marchioretti, Giulia Zanetti, Marco Pirazzini, Gaia Gherardi, Leonardo Nogara, Roberta Andreotti, Paolo Martini, Lorenzo Marcucci, Marta Canato, Samir R. Nath, Emanuela Zuccaro, Mathilde Chivet, Cristina Mammucari, Marco Pacifici, Anna Raffaello, Rosario Rizzuto, Andrea Mattarei, Maria A. Desbats, Leonardo Salviati, Aram Megighian, Gianni Soraru, Elena Pegoraro, Elisa Belluzzi, Assunta Pozzuoli, Carlo Biz, Pietro Ruggieri, Chiara Romualdi, Andrew P. Lieberman, Gopal J. Babu, Marco Sandri, Bert Blaauw, Manuela Basso, Maria Pennuto
Summary: Marchioretti and colleagues demonstrate that there are reversible alterations in gene expression related to muscle contraction and mitochondrial respiration in the skeletal muscle of SBMA mice and patients. These alterations are accompanied by calcium accumulation inside the mitochondria, motor dysfunction, and late changes in muscle structure. The deregulation of expression of genes involved in excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) occurs with sexual maturity and androgen increase in the serum. Surgical castration and AR silencing alleviate the early and late pathological processes, indicating an androgen-dependent nature of these alterations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Elena Groppa, Paolo Martini, Nima Derakhshan, Marine Theret, Morten Ritso, Lin Wei Tung, Yu Xin Wang, Hesham Soliman, Mark Stephen Hamer, Laura Stankiewicz, Christine Eisner, Le Neve Erwan, Chihkai Chang, Lin Yi, Jack H. Yuan, Sunny Kong, Curtis Weng, Josephine Adams, Lucas Chang, Anne Peng, Helen M. Blau, Chiara Romualdi, Fabio M. V. Rossi
Summary: Efficient regeneration requires coordination between multiple cell types. This study analyzes the transcriptome of hematopoietic, stromal, myogenic, and endothelial cells to understand the intercellular networks involved in regeneration. The findings identify VEGFA-driven endothelial engagement as a key differentiating feature in successful and failed regeneration models. Additionally, the study reveals that multiple cell types simultaneously produce most secreted signals, including VEGFA. Deleting VEGFA from stromal and myogenic progenitors shows that spatial compartmentalization of signaling plays a crucial role in intercellular communication networks.
Article
Biology
Sophie Kraunsoe, Takuya Azami, Yihan Pei, Graziano Martello, Kenneth Jones, Thorsten Boroviak, Jennifer Nichols
Summary: We investigated the roles of STAT3 and TFCP2L1 in maintaining naive pluripotency and found that their protein levels decline during blastocyst expansion but increase in the embryonic region after diapause induction. Embryos lacking STAT3 or TFCP2L1 showed catastrophic loss of the inner cell mass during diapause, indicating additional signals are required for sustaining pluripotency. Blocking MEK/ERK signaling allowed efficient derivation of embryonic stem cells from STAT3 null embryos, highlighting an unknown role of TFCP2L1 in the transition to embryonic stem cells in vitro.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene Zorzan, Riccardo Massimiliano Betto, Giada Rossignoli, Mattia Arboit, Andrea Drusin, Clelia Corridori, Paolo Martini, Graziano Martello
Summary: In human embryos, naive pluripotent cells of the inner cell mass (ICM) generate different cell lineages, including trophoblast cells. In vitro, chemical resetting can convert conventional pluripotent stem cells into naive pluripotent stem cells, which have the potential to efficiently generate trophoblast stem cells. This method can be used to study cell fate transitions and model placental disorders.
Article
Cell Biology
Elena Carbognin, Valentina Carlini, Francesco Panariello, Martina Chieregato, Elena Guerzoni, Davide Benvegnu, Valentina Perrera, Cristina Malucelli, Marcella Cesana, Antonio Grimaldi, Margherita Mutarelli, Annamaria Carissimo, Eitan Tannenbaum, Hillel Kugler, Jamie A. Hackett, Davide Cacchiarelli, Graziano Martello
Summary: Carbognin et al. found that ESRRB is essential for the activation of formative genes during the transition of naive embryonic stem cells to a formative state. Inactivation of Esrrb leads to abnormal expression of specific markers and impairs the ability of the cells to self-organize. ESRRB occupies key formative genes in both naive cells and throughout the formative state, kickstarting the formative transition and enabling unbiased multi-lineage differentiation.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marcella Cesana, Gennaro Tufano, Francesco Panariello, Nicolina Zampelli, Susanna Ambrosio, Rossella De Cegli, Margherita Mutarelli, Lorenzo Vaccaro, Micheal J. Ziller, Davide Cacchiarelli, Diego L. Medina, Andrea Ballabio
Summary: The transcription factor EB (TFEB) is an important regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy and plays a major role in cancer-associated diseases. The nutrient-sensitive kinase complex mTORC1 regulates TFEB at the posttranslational level, but the regulation of TFEB transcription is not well understood. In this study, the immediate-early gene EGR1 was identified as a positive regulator of TFEB expression and its absence impaired TFEB-mediated transcriptional response to starvation. Inhibition of EGR1, either genetically or pharmacologically using the MEK1/2 inhibitor Trametinib, significantly reduced the proliferation of cells with constitutive activation of TFEB, including those from a patient with Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome. This suggests that targeting the EGR1-TFEB axis may be a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer-associated conditions with constitutive TFEB activation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Paolo Martini, Jessica Mingardi, Giulia Carini, Stefania Mattevi, Elona Ndoj, Luca La Via, Chiara Magri, Massimo Gennarelli, Isabella Russo, Maurizio Popoli, Laura Musazzi, Alessandro Barbon
Summary: Stress is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders, and the response to stress involves the regulation of transcriptional programs. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats exposed to acute footshock stress. We found alterations in neuronal pathways, glia development, glia-neuron networking, and synaptic function. Furthermore, specific transcription factors were identified as potential master regulators of the acute stress response.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adrien Pasquier, Nunzia Pastore, Luca D'Orsi, Rita Colonna, Alessandra Esposito, Veronica Maffia, Rossella De Cegli, Margherita Mutarelli, Susanna Ambrosio, Gennaro Tufano, Antonio Grimaldi, Marcella Cesana, Davide Cacchiarelli, Nathalie Delalleau, Gennaro Napolitano, Andrea Ballabio
Summary: Pancreatic beta cells require precise nutrient-sensing mechanisms to control insulin production. Transcription factors TFEB and TFE3 regulate beta-cell function and insulin gene expression in response to variations in nutrient availability. TFEB and TFE3 are activated by nutrient deprivation, resulting in suppression of insulin gene expression. Genetic manipulation of TFEB and TFE3 affects body weight and glucose tolerance in mice.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Matteo Calgaro, Chiara Romualdi, Davide Risso, Nicola Vitulo
Summary: This article presents benchdamic, a Bioconductor package for benchmarking methods for the identification of differentially abundant taxa.
