Human Preimplantation Embryos Go RetroviralApril 24, 2015Our genomes are littered with tales of our evolutionary past, including infections from retroviruses that have left their mark in the vast expanses of the human genome. While most of the endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) have lost their protein coding potential, a class of human specific ERVs (HERVs) still possess intact open reading frames. Inspired by […]
The Differentiation Race: Not all Cells Move at the Same SpeedApril 21, 2015Christoph Bock discusses his recent paper ‘Single-Cell DNA Methylome Sequencing and Bioinformatic Inference of Epigenomic Cell-State Dynamics‘ published in Cell Reports. Epigenetic Regulation of Cell States In this first section Christoph tells us why he is interested in studying the epigenetic regulation of cell states and how his new method helps to look at the epigenetics of […]
Mass-tering the Stem Cell Reprogramming ProcessApril 15, 2015Chaotic, uncoordinated, and seemingly without rhyme or reason…no, it’s not the daily stampede towards the barista for your first coffee of the day; rather it’s the words used to describe the early stochastic phases of reprogramming differentiated cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. To bring a little order to the chaos, researchers from the laboratory […]
Young Mitochondria Maintain Stem Cell Self-renewalApril 14, 2015For many commuters, good maintenance may make the difference between getting to work on time or waiting in the cold to be rescued from the roadside at 8:00 in the morning. Like any vehicle, a cell is a well-oiled machine with many parts that are continuously replaced or repaired to ensure durability. Now, new research […]
DNMT1 Loss is Lethal in Human But Not Mouse Embryonic Stem CellsApril 2, 2015Mouse models have been great to science, they’ve given insight into humans in ways simply not possible in humans. However, while there are striking similarities in the epigenetics of mice and men, there are also undoubtedly some fundamental differences. Now, a team from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard consisting of the labs of Alexander Meissner, J. Keith Joung, and John […]
Transdifferentiation Strategy Weeds Out Immature Cancer CellsMarch 29, 2015Every gardener knows the key to successful weeding; extract the entire root because even a small section can regenerate the whole plant. When treating cancer, doctors are faced with the same problem. Immature cancer stem cells often escape treatment and repopulate the tumor, despite its successful elimination by radio or chemotherapy. In a new take […]
Hearts on ChipsMarch 24, 2015Chips, in most incarnations, are bad for the heart. Whether you’re frying them, baking them into cookies, or carrying one on your shoulder, chips are not cardiologist-approved. A new paper from Kevin Healy’s lab aims to mend this relationship with a microfluidic chip that is able to coax human induced stem cells into beating 3D […]
iPSCs and CRISPR the Dynamic Duo of Regenerative MedicineMarch 23, 2015Laurel and Hardy, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Batman and Robin – can we now add iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) and CRISPR to the list of famous duos? Linzhao Cheng (John Hopkins) certainly thinks so, and in a recently study his group have demonstrated how this combination of technologies may lead to an effective cell treatment […]
m6Ajor New Function for MicroRNAs in RNA MethylationFebruary 20, 2015It’s no secret that microRNAs are pretty busy molecules. A single microRNA can regulate the expression of several, maybe even hundreds, of transcripts. If that wasn’t enough, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing now add another function to this packed list of duties: the control of m6A RNA methylation, which is emerging as an […]
Stem Cells Take the Sting out of RadiotherapyFebruary 11, 2015Radiotherapy is an important and effective tool in the war against cancer, but its use for treating brain tumors brings with it unwanted side effects that can cause long term suffering to the patient. Radiation induces the depletion of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) which leads to the loss of the protective myelin sheath that covers […]