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BACKGROUND: Although methods for generating cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells have been reported,current methods produce heterogeneous mixtures of cardiomyocytes and noncardiomyocyte cells. Here,we report an entirely novel system in which pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are purified by cardiomyocyte-specific molecular beacons (MBs). MBs are nanoscale probes that emit a fluorescence signal when hybridized to target mRNAs.backslashnbackslashnMETHOD AND RESULTS: Five MBs targeting mRNAs of either cardiac troponin T or myosin heavy chain 6/7 were generated. Among 5 MBs,an MB that targeted myosin heavy chain 6/7 mRNA (MHC1-MB) identified up to 99% of HL-1 cardiomyocytes,a mouse cardiomyocyte cell line,but textless3% of 4 noncardiomyocyte cell types in flow cytometry analysis,which indicates that MHC1-MB is specific for identifying cardiomyocytes. We delivered MHC1-MB into cardiomyogenically differentiated pluripotent stem cells through nucleofection. The detection rate of cardiomyocytes was similar to the percentages of cardiac troponin T- or cardiac troponin I-positive cardiomyocytes,which supports the specificity of MBs. Finally,MHC1-MB-positive cells were sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorter from mouse and human pluripotent stem cell differentiating cultures,and ≈97% cells expressed cardiac troponin T or cardiac troponin I as determined by flow cytometry. These MB-based sorted cells maintained their cardiomyocyte characteristics,which was verified by spontaneous beating,electrophysiological studies,and expression of cardiac proteins. When transplanted in a myocardial infarction model,MB-based purified cardiomyocytes improved cardiac function and demonstrated significant engraftment for 4 weeks without forming tumors.backslashnbackslashnCONCLUSIONS: We developed a novel cardiomyocyte selection system that allows production of highly purified cardiomyocytes. These purified cardiomyocytes and this system can be valuable for cell therapy and drug discovery. View Publication

Targeted genome editing technologies have enabled a broad range of research and medical applications. The Cas9 nuclease from the microbial CRISPR-Cas system is targeted to specific genomic loci by a 20 nt guide sequence,which can tolerate certain mismatches to the DNA target and thereby promote undesired off-target mutagenesis. Here,we describe an approach that combines a Cas9 nickase mutant with paired guide RNAs to introduce targeted double-strand breaks. Because individual nicks in the genome are repaired with high fidelity,simultaneous nicking via appropriately offset guide RNAs is required for double-stranded breaks and extends the number of specifically recognized bases for target cleavage. We demonstrate that using paired nicking can reduce off-target activity by 50- to 1,500-fold in cell lines and to facilitate gene knockout in mouse zygotes without sacrificing on-target cleavage efficiency. This versatile strategy enables a wide variety of genome editing applications that require high specificity. textcopyright 2013 Elsevier Inc. View Publication

BACKGROUND To investigate the expression status of PIWIL2 and piR-932 in breast cancer stem cells and the role they could play in tumor cell growth and metastasis through Latexin. METHODS CD44(+)/CD24(-) tumor cells (CSC) from clinical specimens were sorted using flow cytometry. PIWIL2 expression status was detected in CSC cells by microarray analysis and 1086 breast cancer specimens by Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining. piR-932 expression was also detected in CSC cells by piRNA microarray assay. The relationship between the PIWIL2 protein and clinico-pathological parameters and prognosis was subsequently determined. RESULTS CSC cells are more likely to generate new tumors in mice and cell microspheres that are deficient in NOD/SCID compared to the control group. PIWIL2 protein was expressed higher in CSC cells compared to the control cells. In total,334 (30.76%) of the 1086 breast cases showed high PIWIL2 expression. PIWIL2 was observed to be related to age,tumor size,histological type,tumor stage,and lymph node metastasis (all P textless 0.05). Furthermore,we have found that one of the Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) called piR-932 expressed significantly higher in the breast cancer cells that were induced to EMT,and it could form immune complexes through immunoprecipitation with PIWIL2; in PIWIL2+ breast cancer stem cells,Latexin expression significantly reduced because of its promoter region CpG island methylation. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the combination of piR-932 and PIWIL2 may be a positive regulator in the process of breast cancer stem cells through promoting the methylation of Latexin,and they both could be the potential targets for blocking the metastasis of breast cancer. View Publication

BACKGROUND/AIMS [corrected] Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) have the capacity to propagate indefinitely,maintain pluripotency,and differentiate into any cell type under defined conditions. As a result,they are considered to be the best model system for research into early embryonic development. AICA ribonucleotide (AICAR) is an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that is thought to affect ES cell function,but its role in ES cell fate decision is unclear. METHODS In this study,we performed microarray analysis to investigate AICAR downstream targets and further understand its effect on ES cells. RESULTS Our microarray data demonstrated that AICAR can significantly up-regulate pluripotency-associated genes and down-regulate differentiation-associated transcription factors. Although AICAR cannot maintain ES cell identity without LIF,it can antagonize the action of RA-induced differentiation. Using those differentially expressed genes identified,we performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis with the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online system. AICAR was not only shown to influence the AMPK pathway,but also act on other signaling pathways such as BMP,MAPK and TGF-β,to maintain the stemness of J1 ES cells. Furthermore,AICAR modulated ES cell epigenetic modification by altering the expression of epigenetic-associated proteins,including Dnmt3a,Dnmt3b,Smarca2,Mbd3,and Arid1a,or through regulating the transcription of long intervening non-coding RNA (lincRNA). CONCLUSION Taken together,our work suggests that AICAR is capable of maintaining ES cell self-renewal and pluripotency,which could be useful in future medical treatment. View Publication

Wnt/β-catenin signalling has a variety of roles in regulating stem cell fates. Its specific role in mouse epiblast stem cell self-renewal,however,remains poorly understood. Here we show that Wnt/β-catenin functions in both self-renewal and differentiation in mouse epiblast stem cells. Stabilization and nuclear translocation of β-catenin and its subsequent binding to T-cell factors induces differentiation. Conversely,retention of stabilized β-catenin in the cytoplasm maintains self-renewal. Cytoplasmic retention of β-catenin is effected by stabilization of Axin2,a downstream target of β-catenin,or by genetic modifications to β-catenin that prevent its nuclear translocation. We also find that human embryonic stem cell and mouse epiblast stem cell fates are regulated by β-catenin through similar mechanisms. Our results elucidate a new role for β-catenin in stem cell self-renewal that is independent of its transcriptional activity and will have broad implications in understanding the molecular regulation of stem cell fate. View Publication

Mast cells are unique hematopoietic cells that are richly distributed in the skin and mucosal surfaces of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. They play a key role in allergic inflammation by releasing a cocktail of granular constituents,including histamine,serine proteases,and various eicosanoids and cytokines. As such,a number of drugs target either inhibition of mast cell degranulation or the products of degranulation. To identify potential novel drugs and mechanisms in mast cell biology,assays were developed to identify inhibitors of mast cell degranulation and activation in a phenotypic screen. Due to the challenges associated with obtaining primary mast cells,cord blood-derived mononuclear cells were reproducibly differentiated to mast cells and assays developed to monitor tryptase release and prostaglandin D2 generation. The tryptase assay was particularly sensitive,requiring only 500 cells per data point,which permitted a set of approximately 12,000 compounds to be screened robustly and cost-effectively. Active compounds were tested for concomitant inhibition of prostaglandin D2 generation. This study demonstrates the robustness and effectiveness of this approach in the identification of potential novel compounds and mechanisms targeting mast cell-driven inflammation,to enable innovative drug discovery efforts to be prosecuted. View Publication

Increasing evidence suggests that stem-like cells mediate cancer therapy resistance and metastasis. Breast tumour-initiating stem cells (T-ISC) are known to be enriched in CD44(+) CD24(neg/low) cells. Here,we identify two T-ISC subsets within this population in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) lines and dissociated primary breast cancer cultures: CD44(+) CD24(low+) subpopulation generates CD44(+) CD24(neg) progeny with reduced sphere formation and tumourigenicity. CD44(+) CD24(low+) populations contain subsets of ALDH1(+) and ESA(+) cells,yield more frequent spheres and/or T-ISC in limiting dilution assays,preferentially express metastatic gene signatures and show greater motility,invasion and,in the MDA-MB-231 model,metastatic potential. CD44(+) CD24(low+) but not CD44(+) CD24(neg) express activated Notch1 intracellular domain (N1-ICD) and Notch target genes. We show N1-ICD transactivates SOX2 to increase sphere formation,ALDH1+ and CD44(+) CD24(low+) cells. Gamma secretase inhibitors (GSI) reduced sphere formation and xenograft growth from CD44(+) CD24(low+) cells,but CD44(+) CD24(neg) were resistant. While GSI hold promise for targeting T-ISC,stem cell heterogeneity as observed herein,could limit GSI efficacy. These data suggest a breast T-ISC hierarchy in which distinct pathways drive developmentally related subpopulations with different anti-cancer drug responsiveness. View Publication

Once set,the inactive status of the X chromosome in female somatic cells is preserved throughout subsequent cell divisions. The inactive status of the X chromosome is characterized by many features,including late replication. In contrast to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in mice,the X chromosome in human female iPSCs usually remains inactive after reprogramming of somatic cells to the pluripotent state,although recent studies point to the possibility of reactivation of the X chromosome. Here,we demonstrated that,during reprogramming,the inactive X chromosome switches from late to synchronous replication,with restoration of the transcription of previously silenced genes. This process is accompanied by accumulation of a new epigenetic mark or intermediate of the DNA demethylation pathway,5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC),on the activated X chromosome. Our results indicate that the active status of the X chromosome is better confirmed by early replication and the reappearance of 5hmC,rather than by appearance of histone marks of active chromatin,removal of histone marks of inactive chromatin,or an absence of XIST coating. View Publication

With defined culture protocol,human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are able to generate cardiomyocytes in vitro,therefore providing a great model for human heart development,and holding great potential for cardiac disease therapies. In this study,we successfully generated a highly pure population of human cardiomyocytes (hCMs) (backslashtextgreater95% cTnT+) from hESC line,which enabled us to identify and characterize an hCM-specific signature,at both the gene expression and DNA methylation levels. Gene functional association network and gene-disease network analyses of these hCM-enriched genes provide new insights into the mechanisms of hCM transcriptional regulation,and stand as an informative and rich resource for investigating cardiac gene functions and disease mechanisms. Moreover,we show that cardiac-structural genes and cardiac-transcription factors have distinct epigenetic mechanisms to regulate their gene expression,providing a better understanding of how the epigenetic machinery coordinates to regulate gene expression in different cell types. View Publication

Recently developed genomics-based tools are allowing repositioning of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs as cancer treatments,which were employed to identify drugs that target cancer stem cells (CSCs) of breast cancer. Gene expression datasets of CSCs from six studies were subjected to connectivity map to identify drugs that may ameliorate gene expression patterns unique to CSCs. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) was negatively connected with gene expression in CSCs. ATRA reduced mammosphere-forming ability of a subset of breast cancer cells,which correlated with induction of apoptosis,reduced expression of SOX2 but elevated expression of its antagonist CDX2. SOX2/CDX2 ratio had prognostic relevance in CSC-enriched breast cancers. K-ras mutant breast cancer cell line enriched for CSCs was resistant to ATRA,which was reversed by MAP kinase inhibitors. Thus,ATRA alone or in combination can be tested for efficacy using SOX2,CDX2,and K-ras mutation/MAPK activation status as biomarkers of response. View Publication

We have examined a number of reagents for their ability to modulate activity of the Hh signaling pathway during embryonic development of Xenopus. In particular we have focused on regulation of events occurring during tailbud stages and later. Two inducible protein reagents based on the Gli1 and Gli3 transcription factors were generated and the activity of these proteins was compared to the Hh signaling pathway inhibitor,cyclopamine,and the activators,Smoothened agonist (SAG) and purmorphamine (PMA). Effectiveness of reagents was assayed using both molecular biological techniques and biological readouts. We found that the small molecule modulators of the Hh pathway were highly specific and effective and produced results generally superior to the more conventional protein reagents for examination of later stage developmental processes. View Publication

Although BMP9 is highly capable of promoting osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs),the molecular mechanism involved remains to be fully elucidated. Here,we explore the possible involvement and detail role of JNKs (c-Jun N-terminal kinases) in BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. It was found that BMP9 stimulated the activation of JNKs in MSCs. BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of MSCs was dramatically inhibited by JNKs inhibitor SP600125. Moreover,BMP9-activated Smads signaling was decreased by SP600125 treatment in MSCs. The effects of inhibitor are reproduced with adenoviruses expressing siRNA targeted JNKs. Taken together,our results revealed that JNKs was activated in BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. What is most noteworthy,however,is that inhibition of JNKs activity resulted in reduction of BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of MSCs,implying that activation of JNKs is essential for BMP9 osteoinductive activity. View Publication