Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential in regenerative medicine because they can differentiate into any cell type in the body. Genome integrity is vital for human development and for high fidelity passage of genetic information across generations through the germ line. To ensure genome stability, hPSCs maintain a lower rate of mutation than somatic cells and undergo rapid apoptosis in response to DNA damage and additional cell stresses. Furthermore, cellular metabolism and the cell cycle are also differentially regulated between cells in pluripotent and differentiated states and can aid in protecting hPSCs against DNA damage and damaged cell propagation. Despite these safeguards, clinical use of hPSC derivatives could be compromised by tumorigenic potential and possible malignant transformation from failed to differentiate cells. Since hPSCs and mature cells differentially respond to cell stress, it may be possible to specifically target undifferentiated cells for rapid apoptosis in mixed cell populations to enable safer use of hPSC-differentiated cells in patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.01.027 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
December 2024
Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development and Stem Cell Therapies, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Pluripotent stem cells possess a unique nuclear architecture characterized by a larger nucleus and more open chromatin, which underpins their ability to self-renew and differentiate. Here, we show that the nucleolus-specific RNA helicase DDX18 is essential for maintaining the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells. Using techniques such as Hi-C, DNA/RNA-FISH, and biomolecular condensate analysis, we demonstrate that DDX18 regulates nucleolus phase separation and nuclear organization by interacting with NPM1 in the granular nucleolar component, driven by specific nucleolar RNAs.
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December 2024
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
Although respiratory symptoms are the most prevalent disease manifestation of infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), nearly 20% of hospitalized patients are at risk for thromboembolic events. This prothrombotic state is considered a key factor in the increased risk of stroke, which is observed clinically during both acute infection and long after symptoms clear. Here, we develop a model of SARS-CoV-2 infection using human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells (ECs), pericytes (PCs), and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to recapitulate the vascular pathology associated with SARS-CoV-2 exposure.
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December 2024
The SKI Stem Cell Research Facility, The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, USA.
Prime editing (PE) allows for precise genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), such as introducing single nucleotide modifications, small insertions or deletions at a specific genomic locus. Here, we systematically compare a panel of prime editing conditions in hPSCs and generate a potent prime editor, "PE-Plus", through co-inhibition of mismatch repair and p53-mediated cellular stress responses. We further establish an inducible prime editing platform in hPSCs by incorporating the PE-Plus into a safe-harbor locus and demonstrated temporal control of precise editing in both hPSCs and differentiated cells.
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December 2024
Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Proteostasis is maintained through regulated protein synthesis and degradation and chaperone-assisted protein folding. However, this is challenging in neuronal projections because of their polarized morphology and constant synaptic proteome remodeling. Using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, we discover that hippocampal and spinal cord motor neurons of mouse and human origin localize a subset of chaperone mRNAs to their dendrites and use microtubule-based transport to increase this asymmetric localization following proteotoxic stress.
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December 2024
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Currently there are no effective treatments for an array of neurodegenerative disorders to a large part because cell-based models fail to recapitulate disease. Here we develop a reproducible human iPSC-based model where laser axotomy causes retrograde axon degeneration leading to neuronal cell death. Time-lapse confocal imaging revealed that damage triggers an apoptotic wave of mitochondrial fission proceeding from the site of injury to the soma.
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