A Review of Regulatory Frameworks for Biobanking in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian countries are at the forefront of public health pressures due to a confluence of factors such as population growth, urbanization, environmental pollution, and infectious diseases (re)emergence. Therefore, the ability to be able to conduct research addressing local and regional needs is of paramount importance. As such, biobanking activities, the standardized collection of biological samples, and associated data, developed over the past few decades supporting ongoing biomedical and clinical research, as well as surveillance are of critical importance.

Gut bacterial community profile of frugivorous bats from Cathedral Cave in Cavinti, Laguna, Philippines.

Here we report the 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis of the gut microbiota of three frugivorous cave bat species from the Cathedral Cave in Cavinti, Laguna, Philippines. Among the bat species, the most abundant phyla are Proteobacteria and Firmicutes D.

Rapid degeneration of iPSC-derived motor neurons lacking Gdap1 engages a mitochondrial-sustained innate immune response.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a chronic hereditary motor and sensory polyneuropathy targeting Schwann cells and/or motor neurons. Its multifactorial and polygenic origin portrays a complex clinical phenotype of the disease with a wide range of genetic inheritance patterns. The disease-associated gene GDAP1 encodes for a mitochondrial outer membrane protein.

c-MYC Triggers Lipid Remodelling During Early Somatic Cell Reprogramming to Pluripotency.

Metabolic rewiring and mitochondrial dynamics remodelling are hallmarks of cell reprogramming, but the roles of the reprogramming factors in these changes are not fully understood. Here we show that c-MYC induces biosynthesis of fatty acids and increases the rate of pentose phosphate pathway. Time-course profiling of fatty acids and complex lipids during cell reprogramming using lipidomics revealed a profound remodelling of the lipid content, as well as the saturation and length of their acyl chains, in a c-MYC-dependent manner.

Generation of an iPSC line from a retinitis pigmentosa patient carrying a homozygous mutation in CERKL and a healthy sibling.

Dermal fibroblasts from an autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patient, homozygous for the mutation c.769 C>T, p.Arg257Ter, in CERKL (Ceramide Kinase-Like) gene, and a healthy sibling were derived and reprogrammed by Sendai virus.

Near-Complete Genome Sequences of Streptomyces sp. Strains AC1-42T and AC1-42W, Isolated from Bat Guano from Cabalyorisa Cave, Mabini, Pangasinan, Philippines.

Streptomyces sp. strains AC1-42T and AC1-42W, isolated from bat guano from Cabalyorisa Cave, Mabini, Pangasinan, Philippines, are active against Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis KCTC 3135.

MYC Induces a Hybrid Energetics Program Early in Cell Reprogramming.

Cell reprogramming is thought to be associated with a full metabolic switch from an oxidative- to a glycolytic-based metabolism. However, neither the dynamics nor the factors controlling this metabolic switch are fully understood. By using cellular, biochemical, protein array, metabolomic, and respirometry analyses, we found that c-MYC establishes a robust bivalent energetics program early in cell reprogramming.

Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from an unaffected female carrier of mutation in SACSIN gene.

The human iPSC cell line, CARS-FiPS4F1 (ESi064-A), derived from dermal fibroblast from the apparently healthy carrier of the mutation of the gene SACSIN, was generated by non-integrative reprogramming technology using OCT3/4, SOX2, CMYC and KLF4 reprogramming factors. The pluripotency was assessed by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. This iPSC line can be used as control for Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) disease.

Generation of a human iPSC line from a patient with Leber congenital amaurosis caused by mutation in AIPL1.

The human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line, derived from dermal fibroblasts from Leber congenital amaurosis patient with homozygous mutation c.265 T > C, p.Cys89Arg in aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein-like 1 (AIPL1) was generated by Sendai virus reprogramming.

Bacterial diversity of bat guano from Cabalyorisa Cave, Mabini, Pangasinan, Philippines: A first report on the metagenome of Philippine bat guano.

Bats are highly diverse and ecologically valuable mammals. They serve as host to bacteria, viruses and fungi that are either beneficial or harmful to its colony as well as to other groups of cave organisms. The bacterial diversity of two bat guano samples, C1 and C2, from Cabalyorisa Cave, Mabini, Pangasinan, Philippines were investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Generation of a human iPSC line by mRNA reprogramming.

The human iPSC cell line, derived from foreskin fibroblasts was generated by non-integrative, non-viral reprogramming technology using OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, LIN28, c-MYC mRNAs.

Generation of a human iPSC line from a patient with congenital glaucoma caused by mutation in CYP1B1 gene.

The human iPSC cell line, GLC-FiPS4F1 (ESi047-A), derived from dermal fibroblast from the patient with congenital glaucoma caused by the mutation of the gene CYP1B1, was generated by non-integrative reprogramming technology using OCT3/4, SOX2, CMYC and KLF4 reprogramming factors.

Generation of a disease-specific iPS cell line derived from a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2K lacking functional GDAP1 gene.

Human CMT2-FiPS4F1 cell line was generated from fibroblasts of a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease harbouring the following mutations in the GDAP1 gene in heterozygosis: p.Q163X/p.T288NfsX3.

Dysfunctional mitochondrial fission impairs cell reprogramming.

We have recently shown that mitochondrial fission is induced early in reprogramming in a Drp1-dependent manner; however, the identity of the factors controlling Drp1 recruitment to mitochondria was unexplored. To investigate this, we used a panel of RNAi targeting factors involved in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and we observed that MiD51, Gdap1 and, to a lesser extent, Mff were found to play key roles in this process. Cells derived from Gdap1-null mice were used to further explore the role of this factor in cell reprogramming.

Early ERK1/2 activation promotes DRP1-dependent mitochondrial fission necessary for cell reprogramming.

During the process of reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, somatic cells switch from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism, a transition associated with profound mitochondrial reorganization. Neither the importance of mitochondrial remodelling for cell reprogramming, nor the molecular mechanisms controlling this process are well understood. Here, we show that an early wave of mitochondrial fragmentation occurs upon expression of reprogramming factors.