http://www.stemcells.com Stem Cells EarlyView RSS Feed http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/765425/GainofFunction_of_Olig_Transcription_Factors_Enhances_Oligodendrogenesis_and_Mye.html The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors Olig1 and Olig2 are required for oligodendrocyte specification and differentiation during central nervous system (CNS) development but the effects of overexpression of these factors in murine development are less well understood. To test whether Olig1 and Olig2 may reprogram CNS stem/progenitors towards an oligodendroglial fate for myelination, we generated transgenic mice with doxycycline inducible expression of Olig1 or Olig2 in... 2010-07-29T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/765431/Transplanted_Oligodendrocytes_and_Motoneuron_Progenitors_Generated_from_Human_Em.html Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) hold great promise for the treatment of patients with many neurodegenerative diseases particularly those arising from cell loss or neural dysfunction including spinal cord injury (SCI). This study evaluates the therapeutic effects of transplanted hESC-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPC) and/or motoneuron progenitors (MP) on axonal remyelination and functional recovery of adult rats after complete spinal cord transection. OPC and/or MP were grafted into... 2010-07-27T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/765429/miR124a_is_Important_for_Migratory_Cell_Fate_Transition_During_Gastrulation_of_H.html Precise control of gene expression is of paramount importance for proper embryonic development. Although a number of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been implicated in fine-tuning mRNA translation during development, their exact roles for gastrulation, particularly in connection with functional targets, have yet to be clarified, with regard to stage specific cell migration to form three embryonic germ layers. We found that miR-124a is expressed in human embryonic stem cells (hESC) but is gradually... 2010-07-27T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/765427/Retinoic_Acid_Synthesis_Promotes_Development_of_Neural_Progenitors_from_Mouse_ES.html Embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate spontaneously towards a neuroectodermal fate in serum-free, adherent monocultures. Here, we show that this spontaneous neural fate requires retinoic acid (RA) synthesis. We monitor ES cells containing reporter genes for markers of the early neural plate as well as the primitive streak (PS) and its progeny to determine the cell fates induced when RA signaling is perturbed. We demonstrate that the spontaneous neural commitment of mouse ES cells requires... 2010-07-27T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/761779/Kidney_StemProgenitor_Cells_Differentiate_Sort_Out_or_Reprogram.html End stage renal disease (ESRD) is defined as the inability of the kidneys to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood. ESRD progresses from earlier stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and occurs when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is below 15 mL/min/1.73 m2. CKD and ESRD are dramatically rising due to increasing aging population, population demographics and the growing rate of diabetes and hypertension.Identification of multipotential stem/progenitor populations in... 2010-07-22T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/761777/FRS2_Regulates_Erk_Levels_to_Control_a_SelfRenewal_Target_Hes1_and_Proliferation.html Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) is among the most common growth factors used in cultures to maintain self-renewal and proliferative capabilities of a variety of stem cells, including neural stem cells (NSCs). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the control by FGF have remained elusive. Studies on mutant mice of FRS2, a central mediator for FGF signaling, combined with FRS2 knockdown or gain-of-function experiments, allowed us to dissect the role of FGF signaling for the self-renewal... 2010-07-22T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/761775/Pancreatic_Cell_Neogenesis_by_Direct_Conversion_from_Mature_Cells.html Because type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterized by loss of -cells, -cell regeneration has garnered great interest as an approach to diabetes therapy. Here, we developed a new model of -cell regeneration, combining pancreatic duct ligation (PDL) with elimination of preexisting -cells with alloxan. In this model, in which virtually all -cells observed are neogenic, large numbers of -cells were generated within 2 weeks. Strikingly, the neogenic -cells arose primarily from -cells. -cell... 2010-07-22T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760607/Adult_Stem_Cells_Exhibit_Global_Suppression_of_RNA_Polymerase_II_Serine2_Phospho.html Adult stem cells, which are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation, participate in tissue homeostasis and response to injury. They are thought to enter a state of relative quiescence, known as reversible cell cycle arrest, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly characterized.Previous data from our lab has shown that housekeeping gene expression is down regulated in melanocyte stem cells (MelSCs), suggesting a global suppression of mRNA... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760601/A_Small_Synthetic_Cripto_Blocking_Peptide_Improves_Neural_Induction_Dopaminergic.html Cripto is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored co-receptor that binds Nodal and the ALK-4 receptor, and is involved in cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Interestingly, genetic ablation of cripto results in increased neuralization and midbrain dopaminergic (DA) differentiation of mESCs, as well as improved DA cell replacement therapy (CRT) in a model of Parkinson's Disease (PD). In this study we developed a Cripto specific blocking tool that would mimic the... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760599/Inducible_Gene_and_shRNA_Expression_in_Resident_Hematopoietic_Stem_Cells_In_Vivo.html Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are probably the best understood somatic stem cells and often serve as a paradigm for other stem cells. Nevertheless, most current techniques to genetically manipulate them in vivo are either constitutive, and/or induced in settings of hematopoietic stress such as after irradiation. Here, we present a conditional expression system that allows for externally controllable transgenesis and knockdown in resident HSCs, based on a lentiviral vector containing a tet-O... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760593/Zap70_Functions_to_Maintain_Stemness_of_Mouse_Embryonic_Stem_Cells_Negatively_Re.html Zeta-chain associated protein kinase-70 (Zap70), a Syk family tyrosine kinase, has been reported to be present exclusively in normal T cells, Natural Killer (NK) cells, and B cells, serving as a pivotal regulator of antigen-mediated receptor signaling and development. In this study, we report that Zap70 is expressed in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and may critically regulate self-renewal and pluripotency in mESCs. We found that Zap70 knocked-down mESCs (Zap70KD) show... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760591/Human_Induced_Pluripotent_Stem_Cells_Develop_Teratoma_More_Efficiently_and_Faste.html 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760587/Polarity_in_Stem_Cells_Disease_and_Aging.html Adult somatic stem cells are central to homeostasis in tissues that present with a high cellular turnover like the skin, intestine and the hematopoietic system. It is thought that polarity is particularly important with respect to fate decisions upon stem cell division (symmetric or asymmetric) as well as for the maintenance of stem cell adhesion and quiescence (interaction with the niche [1-3]. Consequently the failure to establish or regulate stem cell polarity might result in disease or... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/760583/Human_Embryonic_Stem_Cells_as_Models_for_Aneuploid_Chromosomal_Syndromes.html Syndromes caused by chromosomal aneuploidies are widely recognized genetic disorders in humans and often lead to spontaneous miscarriage. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is used to detect chromosomal aneuploidies in early embryos. Our aim was to derive aneuploid human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines that may serve as models for human syndromes caused by aneuploidies. We have established 25 hESC lines from blastocysts diagnosed as aneuploid on day 3 of their in vitro development. The... 2010-07-16T00:00:00Z http://www.stemcells.com/details/journalArticle/759515/Nanoparticles_and_Cellular_Carriers__Allies_in_Cancer_Imaging_and_Cellular_Gene_.html Ineffective treatment and poor patient management continue to plague the arena of clinical oncology. The crucial issues include inadequate treatment efficacy due to ineffective targeting of cancer deposits, systemic toxicities and suboptimal cancer detection and disease monitoring. This has led to the quest for clinically relevant, innovative multifaceted solutions such as development of targeted and traceable therapies. Mesenchymal stem cells have the intrinsic ability to ‘home’ to growing... 2010-07-13T00:00:00Z