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The molecular mechanism responsible for a decline of stem cell functioning after replicative stress remains unknown. We used mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to identify genes involved in the process of cellular aging. In proliferating and senescent MEFs one of the most differentially expressed transcripts was Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2),a Polycomb group protein (PcG) involved in histone methylation and deacetylation. Retroviral overexpression of Ezh2 in MEFs resulted in bypassing of the senescence program. More importantly,whereas normal HSCs were rapidly exhausted after serial transplantations,overexpression of Ezh2 completely conserved long-term repopulating potential. Animals that were reconstituted with 3 times serially transplanted control bone marrow cells all died due to hematopoietic failure. In contrast,similarly transplanted Ezh2-overexpressing stem cells restored stem cell quality to normal levels. In a genetic genomics" screen� View Publication

A major concern in Pluripotent Stem Cell (PSC)-derived cell replacement therapy is the risk of teratoma formation from contaminating undifferentiated cells. Removal of undifferentiated cells from differentiated cultures is an essential step before PSC-based cell therapies can be safely deployed in a clinical setting. We report a group of novel small molecules that are cytotoxic to PSCs. Our data indicates that these molecules are specific and potent in their activity allowing rapid eradication of undifferentiated cells. Experiments utilizing mixed PSC and primary human neuronal and cardiomyocyte cultures demonstrate that up to a 6-fold enrichment for specialized cells can be obtained without adversely affecting cell viability and function. Several structural variants were synthesized to identify key functional groups and to improve specificity and efficacy. Comparative microarray analysis and ensuing RNA knockdown studies revealed involvement of the PERK/ATF4/DDIT3 ER stress pathway. Surprisingly,cell death following ER stress induction was associated with a concomitant decrease in endogenous ROS levels in PSCs. Undifferentiated cells treated with these molecules preceding transplantation fail to form teratomas in SCID mice. Furthermore,these molecules remain non-toxic and non-teratogenic to zebrafish embryos suggesting that they may be safely used in vivo. View Publication

Mitochondrial disease is a group of disorders caused by dysfunctional mitochondria,of which the mutation in the mitochondrial DNA is one of the primary factors. However,the molecular pathogenesis of mitochondrial diseases remains poorly understood due to lack of cell models. Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells or iPSCs) are originated from individuals suffering different diseases but carrying unchanged disease causing gene. Therefore,patient-specific iPS cells can be used as excellent cell models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial diseases. Here we present a detailed protocol for generating iPS cells from urine cells and fibroblasts for instance,as well as a series of characterizations. View Publication

Our understanding of the signalling pathways regulating early human development is limited,despite their fundamental biological importance. Here,we mine transcriptomics datasets to investigate signalling in the human embryo and identify expression for the insulin and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1) receptors,along with IGF1 ligand. Consequently,we generate a minimal chemically-defined culture medium in which IGF1 together with Activin maintain self-renewal in the absence of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling. Under these conditions,we derive several pluripotent stem cell lines that express pluripotency-associated genes,retain high viability and a normal karyotype,and can be genetically modified or differentiated into multiple cell lineages. We also identify active phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR signalling in early human embryos,and in both primed and na{\{i}}ve pluripotent culture conditions. This demonstrates that signalling insights from human blastocysts can be used to define culture conditions that more closely recapitulate the embryonic niche." View Publication

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of down-regulating alloimmune responses and promoting the engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells. MSCs may therefore be suitable for improving donor-specific tolerance induction in solid-organ transplantation. Cells from cadaveric vertebral bone marrow (V-BM),aspirated iliac crest-BM,and peripheral blood progenitor cells were compared. Cells were characterized by flow cytometry and colony assays. MSCs generated from V-BM were assayed for differentiation capacity and immunomodulatory function. A median 5.7 x 10(8) nucleated cells (NCs) were recovered per vertebral body. The mesenchymal progenitor,colony-forming unit-fibroblast,frequency in V-BM (11.6/10(5) NC,range: 6.0-20.0) was considerably higher than in iliac crest-BM (1.4/10(5) NC,range: 0.4-2.6) and peripheral blood progenitor cells (not detectable). MSC generated from V-BM had the typical MSC phenotype (CD105(pos)CD73(pos)CD45(neg)CD34(neg)),displayed multilineage differentiation potential,and suppressed alloreactivity in mixed lymphocyte reactions. V-BM may be an excellent source for MSC cotransplantation approaches. View Publication

The developmental potential of human ES cells makes them an important tool in developmental,pharmacological,and clinical research. For human ES cell technology to be fully exploited,however,culture efficiency must be improved,large-scale culture enabled,and safety ensured. Traditional human ES cell culture systems have relied on serum products and mouse feeder layers,which limit the scale,present biological variability,and expose the cells to potential contaminants. Defined,feeder-independent culture systems improve the safety and efficiency of ES cell technology,enabling translational research. The protocols herein are designed with the standard research laboratory in mind. They contain recipes for the formulation of mTeSR (a defined medium for human ES cell culture) and detailed protocols for the culture,transfer,and passage of cells grown in these feeder-independent conditions. They provide a basis for routine feeder-independent culture,and a starting point for additional optimization of culture conditions. View Publication

The longevity of organisms is maintained by stem cells. If an organism loses the ability to maintain a balance between quiescence and differentiation in the stem/progenitor cell compartment due to aging and/or stress,this may result in death or age-associated diseases,including cancer. Ewing sarcoma is the most lethal bone tumor in young patients and arises from primitive stem cells. Here,we demonstrated that endogenous Ewing sarcoma gene (Ews) is indispensable for stem cell quiescence,and that the ablation of Ews promotes the early onset of senescence in hematopoietic stem progenitor cells. The phenotypic and functional changes in Ews-deficient stem cells were accompanied by an increase in senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and a marked induction of p16(INK4a) compared with wild-type counterparts. With its relevance to cancer and possibly aging,EWS is likely to play a significant role in maintaining the functional capacity of stem cells and may provide further insight into the complexity of Ewing sarcoma in the context of stem cells. View Publication

Doxorubicin is a highly efficacious anti-cancer drug but causes cardiotoxicity in many patients. The mechanisms of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) remain incompletely understood. We investigated the characteristics and molecular mechanisms of DIC in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs). We found that doxorubicin causes dose-dependent increases in apoptotic and necrotic cell death,reactive oxygen species production,mitochondrial dysfunction and increased intracellular calcium concentration. We characterized genome-wide changes in gene expression caused by doxorubicin using RNA-seq,as well as electrophysiological abnormalities caused by doxorubicin with multi-electrode array technology. Finally,we show that CRISPR-Cas9-mediated disruption of TOP2B,a gene implicated in DIC in mouse studies,significantly reduces the sensitivity of hPSC-CMs to doxorubicin-induced double stranded DNA breaks and cell death. These data establish a human cellular model of DIC that recapitulates many of the cardinal features of this adverse drug reaction and could enable screening for protective agents against DIC as well as assessment of genetic variants involved in doxorubicin response. View Publication

The fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system provides a powerful method to evaluate cell cycle mechanisms associated with stem cell self-renewal and cell fate specification. By integrating the FUCCI system into human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) it is possible to isolate homogeneous fractions of viable cells representative of all cell cycle phases. This method avoids problems associated with traditional tools used for cell cycle analysis such as synchronizing drugs,elutriation and temperature sensitive mutants. Importantly,FUCCI reporters allow cell cycle events in dynamic systems,such as differentiation,to be evaluated. Initial reports on the FUCCI system focused on its strengths in reporting spatio-temporal aspects of cell cycle events in living cells and developmental models. In this report,we describe approaches that broaden the application of FUCCI reporters in PSCs through incorporation of FACS. This approach allows molecular analysis of the cell cycle in stem cell systems that were not previously possible. View Publication

The nucleolus is a prominent subnuclear structure whose major function is the transcription and assembly of ribosome subunits. The size of the nucleolus varies with the cell cycle,proliferation rate and stress. Changes in nucleolar size,number,chemical composition,and shape can be used to characterize malignant cells. We used spontaneous Raman microscopy as a label-free technique to examine nucleolar spatial and chemical features. Raman images of the 1003 cm(-1) phenylalanine band revealed large,well-defined subnuclear protein structures in MFC-7 breast cancer cells. The 783 cm(-1) images showed that nucleic acids were similarly distributed,but varied more in intensity,forming observable high-intensity regions. High subnuclear RNA concentrations were observed within some of these regions as shown by 809 cm(-1) Raman band images. Principal component analyses of sub-images and library spectra validated the subnuclear presence of RNA. They also revealed that an actin-like protein covaried with DNA within the nucleolus,a combination that accounted for 64% or more of the spectral variance. Embryonic stem cells are another rapidly proliferating cell type,but their nucleoli were not as large or well defined. Estimating the size of the larger MCF-7 nucleolus was used to show the utility of Raman microscopy for morphometric analyses. It was concluded that imaging based on Raman microscopy provides a promising new method for the study of nucleolar function and organization,in the evaluation of drug and experimental effects on the nucleolus,and in clinical diagnostics and prognostics. View Publication