Rapamycin and CHIR99021 Coordinate Robust Cardiomyocyte Differentiation From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Via Reducing p53-Dependent Apoptosis.

Background: Cardiomyocytes differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells can serve as an unexhausted source for a cellular cardiac disease model. Although small molecule-mediated cardiomyocyte differentiation methods have been established, the differentiation efficiency is relatively unsatisfactory in multiple lines due to line-to-line variation. Additionally, hurdles including line-specific low expression of endogenous growth factors and the high apoptotic tendency of human pluripotent stem cells also need to be overcome to establish robust and efficient cardiomyocyte differentiation.

Two functional microRNA-126s repress a novel target gene p21-activated kinase 1 to regulate vascular integrity in zebrafish.

Rationale: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of vascular development and diseases. The function and underlying mechanism of endothelial miRNAs have not been fully defined.

Objective: To investigate the role of endothelial miR-126 in zebrafish vascular development.