Publications by authors named "Clara Munger"
Article Synopsis
- Wildlife biodiversity helps keep ecosystems healthy and strong.
- Scientists study this diversity to learn more about life and how it started.
- Due to the rapid loss of various species, immediate action is needed from conservationists, and new techniques like stem cell technologies could help protect animal diversity.
Cell Stem Cell
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates early human trophoblast development using marmoset embryos, bridging gaps in understanding due to the inaccessibility of human early conceptus.
- - Researchers successfully created trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) from marmoset pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating unique characteristics and differentiation potential compared to human TSCs.
- - The findings suggest that specific culture conditions for marmosets can maintain a trophoblast-like identity, revealing insights into evolutionary differences in implantation and enhancing knowledge of human development.
Article Synopsis
- Biomechanical cues are crucial for embryonic development and cell differentiation, and studying these can reveal how physical stimuli influence gene expression during early mammalian development.
- By using microfluidic techniques to encapsulate mouse embryonic stem cells, researchers found that Plakoglobin (Jup), a key protein, enhances the network responsible for maintaining naive pluripotency.
- The study highlights Plakoglobin's role as a mechanosensitive regulator, suggesting that its expression during blastocyst formation in both human and mouse embryos is vital for understanding cell fate transitions influenced by the physical environment.
Article Synopsis
- Primate embryogenesis is characterized by the early development of extraembryonic membranes, which is regulated by specific signals that influence cell lineages while protecting the pluripotent epiblast.
- Researchers created a microgel system to culture marmoset pluripotent stem cells, successfully producing epiblast- and amnion-spheroids and verifying their identities against marmoset embryos.
- Through single-cell analysis, they discovered that activin/nodal signaling is crucial for lineage identity, while BMP4 supports amnion development, with FGF signaling acting as an inhibitor, showcasing a new approach to studying early primate development.
Article Synopsis
- The uterus is crucial for embryo implantation and fetal growth, but most current research focuses on later pregnancy stages to improve outcomes for premature births.
- There is a need for in vitro (lab-based) models that concentrate on uterine tissue to better understand diseases like endometriosis and uterine cancers, as well as the process of embryo implantation.
- The text suggests the possibility of creating stem cell-based models of the uterus using techniques like microfluidics and 3D printing to explore these important issues.
Stem Cell Reports
May 2021
Article Synopsis
- Human periimplantation development involves transforming naive pluripotent epiblasts into a polarized epithelium, crucial for forming the amniotic cavity through lumenogenesis.
- Researchers developed a high-throughput in vitro model using microfluidic technology to encapsulate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in microgels, leading to self-organizing polarized epiblast spheroids.
- The study found that encapsulated primed hPSCs needed different conditions than naive hPSCs and showed increased lumen formation during the transition, providing a basis for future research on human epiblast development and organization.
