REST (RE1 silencing transcription factor), also known as NRSF (neuron-restrictive silencer factor), is a well-known transcriptional repressor of neural genes in non-neural tissues and stem cells. Dysregulation of REST activity is thought to play a role in diverse diseases including epilepsy, cancer, Down's syndrome and Huntington's disease. The role of REST/NRSF in control of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) fate has never been examined. To evaluate the role of REST in hESCs we developed an inducible REST knockdown system and examined both growth and differentiation over short and long term culture. Interestingly, we have found that altering REST levels in multiple hESC lines does not result in loss of self-renewal but instead leads to increased survival. During differentiation, REST knockdown resulted in increased MAPK/ERK and WNT signaling and increased expression of mesendoderm differentiation markers. Therefore we have uncovered a new role for REST in regulation of growth and early differentiation decisions in human embryonic stem cells.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4699193PMC
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145280PLOS

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

human embryonic
12
embryonic stem
12
stem cells
12
role rest
8
rest knockdown
8
rest
7
differentiation
5
rest/nrsf knockdown
4
knockdown alters
4
alters survival
4

Similar Publications

Ectopic thyroid tissue in the airway: a case report.

BMC Pulm Med

January 2025

Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, No. 4026 Yatai street, Changchun, 130041, Jilin, China.

Background: Ectopic thyroid tissue (ETT) is a rare congenital anomaly caused by the abnormal embryonic migration of thyroid tissue, leading to its presence outside its usual pretracheal location. This condition can lead to diagnostic challenges, especially when located within the airway, as it mimics other respiratory disorders such as asthma.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a 69-year-old man with endotracheal ETT presenting with severe dyspnea, and the lesion was initially suspected to be malignant.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical perspective on pluripotent stem cells derived cell therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Adv Drug Deliv Rev

January 2025

Neurodegenerative Diseases Department, Kadimastem Ltd, Pinchas Sapir 7, Weizmann Science Park, Ness-Ziona, Israel; Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel.

Self-renewal capacity and potential to differentiate into almost any cell type of the human body makes pluripotent stem cells a valuable starting material for manufacturing of clinical grade cell therapies. Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by gradual loss of structure or function of neurons, often leading to neuronal death. This results in gradual decline of cognitive, motor, and physiological functions due to the degeneration of the central nervous systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fetal fibroblast heterogeneity defines dermal architecture during human embryonic skin development.

J Invest Dermatol

January 2025

Centre for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London, UK; Directors' Unit, EMBL, Meyerhofstr. 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/fionamarywatt.

To investigate heterogeneity of fibroblasts in human fetal skin, we analysed published single-cell RNA sequencing data (8 and 16 post conception weeks (PCW)) and performed single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridisation to map their spatial distribution and predicted dynamic interactions. Clustering revealed 8 fibroblast populations with developmental stage-specific abundance changes. Proliferative cells (MKI67+) were present at all stages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The common murine retroviral integration site activating Hhex marks a distal regulatory enhancer co-opted in human Early T-cell precursor leukemia.

J Biol Chem

January 2025

Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indianapolis, Indiana; R.L. Roudebush Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana. Electronic address:

The Hhex gene encodes a transcription factor that is important for both embryonic and post-natal development, especially of hematopoietic tissues. Hhex is one of the most common sites of retroviral integration in mouse models. We found the most common integrations in AKXD (recombinant inbred strains) T-ALLs occur 57-61kb 3' of Hhex and activate Hhex gene expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dysregulation of genes encoding the homologous to E6AP C-terminus (HECT) E3 ubiquitin ligases has been linked to cancer and structural birth defects. One member of this family, the HECT-domain-containing protein 1 (HECTD1), mediates developmental pathways, including cell signaling, gene expression, and embryogenesis. Through GeneMatcher, we identified 14 unrelated individuals with 15 different variants in HECTD1 (10 missense, 3 frameshift, 1 nonsense, and 1 splicing variant) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!