Stem Cells Heartbroken Without miR-499November 8, 2010How can you mend a broken heart? Well if researchers at Stanford University are right, then one day all you’ll need are some stem cells and miR-499 to cure a bad case of heartache (well, at least the kind that follows a heart attack. The bad breakup kind will still be up to relationship experts […]
Pardon the Epigenetic DisruptionOctober 28, 2010One of the great things about stem cells is how they seem to do just about anything. These days, stem cells have more Apps than an iPad, and in the new issue of Science we find one more: using stem cells to screen for “epigenetic disruptors”. The proposed idea is to use the built-in developmental […]
iPS Cells Can’t Escape Their miRNA PastsAugust 4, 2010Even though the second season of The Jersey Shore takes place in Miami, the cast remain true to their ‘guido’ roots. I guess sometimes you just can’t change who you really are. The same is true for microRNA expression profiles of iPS cells. A recent review (Lakshmipathy et.al. 2010) from Ron Hart’s group at the […]
Uncovering 5hmC’s Link to Stem Cell Self-RenewalAugust 3, 2010The search is on to figure out a role for the recently discovered 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) base. While it’s still up in the air if 5hmC will play a main character or just be cast as an extra , this new study in Nature ties the mysterious modification to a demethylation pathway, regulated by Tet proteins, […]