A New Link to Primate Heart Development.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of development. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Wilson et al. utilize pluripotent stem cell models to demonstrate that a primate lncRNA, BANCR, is primarily expressed in fetal cardiomyocytes and promotes cell migration.

N-methyladenine in DNA antagonizes SATB1 in early development.

The recent discovery of N-methyladenine (N-mA) in mammalian genomes suggests that it may serve as an epigenetic regulatory mechanism. However, the biological role of N-mA and the molecular pathways that exert its function remain unclear. Here we show that N-mA has a key role in changing the epigenetic landscape during cell fate transitions in early development.

Alloimmune Responses of Humanized Mice to Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapeutics.

There is growing interest in using embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derivatives for tissue regeneration. However, an increased understanding of human immune responses to stem cell-derived allografts is necessary for maintaining long-term graft persistence. To model this alloimmunity, humanized mice engrafted with human hematopoietic and immune cells could prove to be useful.

Teratoma formation: a tool for monitoring pluripotency in stem cell research.

This unit describes protocols for evaluating the pluripotency of embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells using a teratoma formation assay. Cells are prepared for injection and transplanted into immunodeficient mice at the gastrocnemius muscle, a site well suited for teratoma growth and surgical access. Teratomas that form from the cell transplants are explanted, fixed in paraformaldehyde, and embedded in paraffin.