Complete suspension culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells supplemented with suppressors of spontaneous differentiation.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are promising resources for producing various types of tissues in regenerative medicine; however, the improvement in a scalable culture system that can precisely control the cellular status of hiPSCs is needed. Utilizing suspension culture without microcarriers or special materials allows for massive production, automation, cost-effectiveness, and safety assurance in industrialized regenerative medicine. Here, we found that hiPSCs cultured in suspension conditions with continuous agitation without microcarriers or extracellular matrix components were more prone to spontaneous differentiation than those cultured in conventional adherent conditions.

Generation of two ISL1-tdTomato reporter human induced pluripotent stem cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.

ISL1 encodes a member of the LIM/homeodomain family of transcription factors. This encoded protein plays central roles in the development of motor neuron, pancreas, and secondary heart field. Here we generated heterozygous fluorescent reporters of the ISL1 gene in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).

Generation of two human induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from two X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy patients with ABCD1 mutations.

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is an X-linked genetic disorder, characterized by demyelination in the central nervous system and adrenal insufficiency. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines derived from two Japanese male patients with ALD were generated from skin fibroblasts using retroviral vectors. The generated hiPSC lines showed self-renewal and pluripotency, and carried either a missense or a nonsense mutation in ABCD1 gene.

Generation of two human induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from two juvenile nephronophthisis patients with NPHP1 deletion.

Juvenile nephronophthisis is an inherited renal ciliopathy, causing cystic kidney disease, renal fibrosis, and end-stage renal failure. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines, derived from two Juvenile nephronophthisis patients, were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by episomal plasmid vectors. Generated hiPSC lines showed self-renewal and pluripotency and carried a large deletion in NPHP1 (Nephrocystin 1) gene.

Effects of Intrathecal Injection of the Conditioned Medium from Bone Marrow Stromal Cells on Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been studied for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). In previous studies, we showed that the transplantation of BMSCs, even though they disappeared from the host spinal cord within 1-3 weeks after transplantation, improved locomotor behaviors and promoted axonal regeneration. This result led to the hypothesis that BMSCs might release some neurotrophic factors effective for the treatment of SCI.

Brief exposure to small molecules allows induction of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into neural crest-like precursors.

In this study, we propose a novel method for inducing neuronal cells by briefly exposing them to small-molecule cocktails in a step-by-step manner. Global gene expression analysis with immunohistochemical staining and calcium flux assays reveal the generation of neurons from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. In addition, time-lapse imaging of neural precursor-specific enhancer expression and global gene expression analyses show that the neurons are generated by passing through a neural crest-like precursor stage.

Treadmill running induces satellite cell activation in diabetic mice.

Skeletal muscle-derived stem cells, termed as satellite cells, play essential roles in regeneration after muscle injury in adult skeletal muscle. Diabetes mellitus (DM), one of the most common metabolic diseases, causes impairments of satellite cell function. However, the studies of the countermeasures for the DM-induced dysfunction of satellite cells have been poor.

Diabetes Impairs Wnt3 Protein-induced Neurogenesis in Olfactory Bulbs via Glutamate Transporter 1 Inhibition.

Diabetes is associated with impaired cognitive function. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats exhibit a loss of neurogenesis and deficits in behavioral tasks involving spatial learning and memory; thus, impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis may contribute to diabetes-associated cognitive deficits. Recent studies have demonstrated that adult neurogenesis generally occurs in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, the subventricular zone, and the olfactory bulbs (OB) and is defective in patients with diabetes.

Functional Overload Enhances Satellite Cell Properties in Skeletal Muscle.

Skeletal muscle represents a plentiful and accessible source of adult stem cells. Skeletal-muscle-derived stem cells, termed satellite cells, play essential roles in postnatal growth, maintenance, repair, and regeneration of skeletal muscle. Although it is well known that the number of satellite cells increases following physical exercise, functional alterations in satellite cells such as proliferative capacity and differentiation efficiency following exercise and their molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

The regulation of stem cell aging by Wnt signaling.

Aging is an inevitable physiological process that leads to the dysfunction of various tissues, and these changes may contribute to certain diseases, and ultimately death. Recent research has discovered biological pathways that promote aging. This review focuses on Wnt signaling, Wnt is a highly conserved secreted signaling molecule that plays an essential role in the development and function of various tissues, and is a notable factor that regulates aging.

Diabetes and stem cell function.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common serious metabolic diseases that results in hyperglycemia due to defects of insulin secretion or insulin action or both. The present review focuses on the alterations to the diabetic neuronal tissues and skeletal muscle, including stem cells in both tissues, and the preventive effects of physical activity on diabetes. Diabetes is associated with various nervous disorders, such as cognitive deficits, depression, and Alzheimer's disease, and that may be caused by neural stem cell dysfunction.

MicroRNAs and epigenetics in adult neurogenesis.

Neurogenesis occurs throughout adulthood in the mammalian brain. Neural stem cells (NSCs) exist in three distinct areas of the brain: the subventricular zone, the olfactory bulb, and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression.