Cell starvation regulates ceramide-induced autophagy in mouse preimplantation embryo development.

Ceramide induces autophagy upon starvation via downregulation of nutrient transporters. To elucidate the mechanism by which starvation regulates autophagy in mouse embryos, the present study investigated nutrient transporter expression and the effect of C2-ceramide on in vitro embryo development, apoptosis, and autophagy. The transcript levels of the glucose transporters Glut1 and Glut3 were high at the 1- and 2-cell stages, and gradually decreased at the morula and blastocyst (BL) stages.

Intestinal stem cells and their niches in homeostasis and disease.

Tissues such as the intestine harbor stem cells that have remarkable functional plasticity in response to a dynamic environment. To adapt to the environment, stem cells constantly receive information from their surrounding microenvironment (also called the 'niche') that instructs them how to adapt to changes. The Drosophila midgut shows morphological and functional similarities to the mammalian small intestine and has been a useful model system to study signaling events in stem cells and tissue homeostasis.

Peroxiredoxin 5 overexpression decreases oxidative stress and dopaminergic cell death mediated by paraquat.

Peroxiredoxins (Prdxs) are thiol-dependent enzymes that scavenge peroxides. Previously, we found that Prdxs were hyperoxidized in a Parkinson's disease model induced by paraquat (PQ), which led to their inactivation, perpetuating reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Herein, we evaluated the redox state of the typical 2-Cys-Prx subgroup.

Human pluripotent stem cell-based models of heart development and disease.

The heart is a complex organ composed of distinct cell types, such as cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, neuronal cells and immune cells. All these cell types contribute to the structural, electrical and mechanical properties of the heart. Genetic manipulation and lineage tracing studies in mice have been instrumental in gaining critical insights into the networks regulating cardiac cell lineage specification, cell fate and plasticity.

3D imaging reveals apical stem cell responses to ambient temperature.

Plant growth is driven by apical meristems at the shoot and root growth points, which comprise continuously active stem cell populations. While many of the key factors involved in homeostasis of the shoot apical meristem (SAM) have been extensively studied under artificial constant growth conditions, only little is known how variations in the environment affect the underlying regulatory network. To shed light on the responses of the SAM to ambient temperature, we combined 3D live imaging of fluorescent reporter lines that allowed us to monitor the activity of two key regulators of stem cell homeostasis in the SAM namely CLAVATA3 (CLV3) and WUSCHEL (WUS), with computational image analysis to derive morphological and cellular parameters of the SAM.

Mathematics of neural stem cells: Linking data and processes.

Adult stem cells are described as a discrete population of cells that stand at the top of a hierarchy of progressively differentiating cells. Through their unique ability to self-renew and differentiate, they regulate the number of end-differentiated cells that contribute to tissue physiology. The question of how discrete, continuous, or reversible the transitions through these hierarchies are and the precise parameters that determine the ultimate performance of stem cells in adulthood are the subject of intense research.

Unravelling the link between embryogenesis and adult stem cell potential in the ciliary marginal zone: A comparative study between mammals and teleost fish.

The discovery and study of adult stem cells have revolutionized regenerative medicine by offering new opportunities for treating various medical conditions. Anamniote stem cells, which retain their full proliferative capacity and full differentiation range throughout their lifetime, harbour a greater potential compared to mammalian adult stem cells, which only exhibit limited stem cell potential. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying these differences is of significant interest.

Single-cell RNA sequencing of mouse lower respiratory tract epithelial cells: A meta-analysis.

The respiratory system is a vital component of our body, essential for both oxygen uptake and immune defense. Knowledge of cellular composition and function in different parts of the respiratory tract provides the basis for a better understanding of the pathological processes involved in various diseases such as chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a proficient approach for the identification and transcriptional characterization of cellular phenotypes.

The Hydra stem cell system - Revisited.

Cnidarians are >600 million years old and are considered the sister group of Bilateria based on numerous molecular phylogenetic studies. Apart from Hydra, the genomes of all major clades of Cnidaria have been uncovered (e.g.

Physical biomarkers for human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Adhesion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to the bone marrow niche plays critical roles in the maintenance of the most primitive HSPCs. The interactions of HSPC-niche interactions are clinically relevant in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), because (i) leukemia-initiating cells adhered to the marrow niche are protected from the cytotoxic effect by chemotherapy and (ii) mobilization of HSPCs from healthy donors' bone marrow is crucial for the effective stem cell transplantation. However, although many clinical agents have been developed for the HSPC mobilization, the effects caused by the extrinsic molecular cues were traditionally evaluated based on phenomenological observations.

Temporal and clonal characterization of neural stem cell niche recruitment in the medaka neuromast.

Stem cell populations are defined by their capacity to self-renew and to generate differentiated progeny. These unique characteristics largely depend on the stem cell micro-environment, the so-called stem cell niche. Niches were identified for most adult stem cells studied so far, but we know surprisingly little about how somatic stem cells and their niche come together during organ formation.

Recent advances in understanding the impact of infection and inflammation on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Just over one decade ago, it was discovered that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) could directly respond to inflammatory cytokines by mounting a proliferative response thought to mediate the emergency production of mature blood cells. In the intervening years, we have gained mechanistic insight into this so-called activation process and have started to learn such a response may come at a cost in terms of ultimately resulting in HSC exhaustion and hematologic dysfunction. In this review article, we report the progress we have made in understanding the interplay between infection, inflammation and HSCs during the funding period of the Collaborative Research Center 873 "Maintenance and Differentiation of Stem Cells in Development and Disease", and place this work within the context of recent output by others working within this field.

Deep machine learning for cell segmentation and quantitative analysis of radial plant growth.

Plants produce the major part of terrestrial biomass and are long-term deposits of atmospheric carbon. This capacity is to a large extent due to radial growth of woody species - a process driven by cambium stem cells located in distinct niches of shoot and root axes. In the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, thousands of cells are produced by the cambium in radial orientation generating a complex organ anatomy enabling long-distance transport, mechanical support and protection against biotic and abiotic stressors.

Differential expression of endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) in hematopoietic stem and multipotent progenitor cells in young and old mice.

Endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) has emerged as one of the most conserved and reliable surface markers for the prospective identification and isolation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Prior studies have consistently demonstrated that EPCR expression enriches HSCs capable of long-term multilineage repopulation in both mouse and human across different hematopoietic tissues, including bone marrow (BM), fetal liver and ex vivo HSC expansion cultures. However, little is known about the expression profiles of EPCR in multipotent progenitor (MPP) populations located immediately downstream of HSCs in the hematopoietic hierarchy and which play a major role in sustaining lifelong blood cell production.

The surface ectoderm exhibits spatially heterogenous tension that correlates with YAP localisation during spinal neural tube closure in mouse embryos.

The single cell layer of surface ectoderm (SE) which overlies the closing neural tube (NT) plays a crucial biomechanical role during mammalian NT closure (NTC), challenging previous assumptions that it is only passive to the force-generating neuroepithelium (NE). Failure of NTC leads to congenital malformations known as NT defects (NTDs), including spina bifida (SB) and anencephaly in the spine and brain respectively. In several mouse NTD models, SB is caused by misexpression of SE-specific genes and is associated with disrupted SE mechanics, including loss of rostrocaudal cell elongation believed to be important for successful closure.

Control of centrosome distal appendages assembly and disassembly.

Centrosomes are microtubule organizing centers involved in chromosome segregation, spindle orientation, cell motility and cilia formation. In recent years, they have also emerged as key modulators of asymmetric cell division. Centrosomes are composed of two centrioles that initiate duplication in S phase.

The vasculature of neurogenic niches: Properties and function.

In the adult rodent brain, neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus. In these areas, NSCs and their progeny integrate intrinsic signals and extrinsic cues provided by their microenvironment that control their behavior. The vasculature in the SVZ and SGZ, and the choroid plexus (ChP) in the SVZ, have emerged as critical compartments of the neurogenic niches as they provide a rich repertoire of cues to regulate NSC quiescence, proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation.

Multimodal Wnt signalling in the mouse neocortex.

The neocortex is the site of higher cognitive functions and its development is tightly regulated by cell signalling pathways. Wnt signalling is inexorably linked with neocortex development but its precise role remains unclear. Most studies demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin regulates neural progenitor self-renewal but others suggest it can also promote differentiation.

Cyclopamine targeting hedgehog modulates nuclear control of the osteoblast activity.

It is known that cellular events underlying the processes of bone maintenance, remodeling, and repair have their basis in the embryonic production of bone. Shh signaling is widely described developing important morphogenetic control in bone by modifying the activity of osteoblast. Furthermore, identifying whether it is associated with the modulation of nuclear control is very important to be the basis for further applications.

MiR-29b level-mediated regulation of Klotho methylation via DNMT3A targeting in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease characterized by chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) is the predominant cause of COPD. This study aimed to investigate the effects of miR-29b and their underlying mechanisms in a COPD cell model.

5-Azacytidine incorporated skeletal muscle-derived hydrogel promotes rat skeletal muscle regeneration.

Decellularized skeletal muscle is a promising biomaterial for muscle regeneration due to the mimicking of the natural microenvironment. Previously, it has been reported that 5-Azacytidine (5-Aza), a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, induces myogenesis in different types of stem cells. In the current study, we investigated the effect of 5-Aza incorporated muscle-derived hydrogel on the viability and proliferation of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) in vitro and muscle regeneration in vivo.

Physical models of notochord cell packing reveal how tension ratios determine morphometry.

The physical and geometric aspects of notochords are investigated using a model of finite-length notochords, with interior vacuolated cells arranged in two common packing configurations, and sheath modeled as homogeneous and thin. The key ratios governing packing patterns and eccentricity are number of cells per unit length λ and cell tension ratio Γ. By analyzing simulations that vary Γ and total number of cells N, we find that eccentricity, λ, and internal pressure approach consistent asymptotic values away from the tapering ends, as N increases.

GPD2: The relationship with cancer and neural stemness.

We previously reported that knocking down GPD2 (glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2), responsible for the glycerol-phosphate shuttle, causes human hepatocarcinoma-derived HuH-7 cells, lowering the cancer stemness. After examining whether GPD2 expression in the other cell lines could affect their cancer stemness, this study showed that human neuroblastoma-derived SH-SY5Y cells also lower the ability of sphere formation by knocking down GPD2. This suggests that GPD2 relates to the common mechanism for maintaining cancer stem cells, as in the cases like SH-SY5Y and HuH-7 cells.