Transplanted human neural precursor cells integrate into the host neural circuit and ameliorate neurological deficits in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is to date one of the major critical conditions causing death and disability worldwide. Exogenous neural stem/precursor cells (NSCs/NPCs) hold great promise for improving neurological dysfunction, but their functional properties in vivo remain unknown. Human neural precursor cells (hNPCs) carrying one fluorescent reporter gene (DsRed) can be observed directly in vivo using two-photon laser-scanning microscope.

[Differentiation of in vitro induced human pluripotent stem cells into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells].

This study was aimed to explore the differentiation of in vitro induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into hematopoietic stem progenitor cells. The human iPSC were induced to differentiate into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell by co-culturing with OP9 bone marrow stromal cells. The expression of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell surface markers were detected by flow cytometry.

Neural progenitor cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells generated less autogenous immune response.

The breakthrough development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) raises the prospect of patient-specific treatment for many diseases through the replacement of affected cells. However, whether iPSC-derived functional cell lineages generate a deleterious immune response upon auto-transplantation remains unclear. In this study, we differentiated five human iPSC lines from skin fibroblasts and urine cells into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and analyzed their immunogenicity.

Identification of two distinct transactivation domains in the pluripotency sustaining factor nanog.

Nanog is a newly identified homeodomain gene that functions to sustain the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. However, the molecular mechanism through which nanog regulates stem cell pluripotency remains unknown. Mouse nanog encodes a polypeptide of 305 residues with a divergent homeodomain similar to those in the NK-2 family.

[Experimental study on HDV ribozyme in vitro cleaving the HBV derived RNA fragment].

Objective: To explore the possibility of transacting hepatitis D virus (HDV) ribozyme cleaving in vitro the hepatitis B virus (HBV) mRNA fragments.

Methods: According to the established pseudoknot-like structure, its' H1 domain was changed to design the transacting HDV ribozyme Rc1 and Rc2, which targeted the 701-713 site and 776-788 site of HBV C domain. After the chemically synthesised cDNA of the ribozyme was cloned into the vector PGEM-4Z, the transacting HDV ribozyme was transcriped using in vitro transcription technology.

Stem cell pluripotency and transcription factor Oct4.

Mammalian cell totipotency is a subject that has fascinated scientists for generations. A long lasting question whether some of the somatic cells retains totipotency was answered by the cloning of Dolly at the end of the 20th century. The dawn of the 21st has brought forward great expectations in harnessing the power of totipotentcy in medicine.