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Tag Archives: pluripotent
lincRNA: A recently discovered RNA organizes stem cell differentiation
What makes a scientist’s heart go pitter-patter? Something like this: When the Broad team discovered more than 3,500 unique lincRNAs in the human and mouse genomes in 2009, “the potential was enormous, and we wanted to know what they could be doing.” [Source: Technology Review] Here’s the scenario: A team of researchers at the Broad [...]
Posted in News: Proteomics Also tagged Broad Institute, cell development, DNA, genetics, Guttmann, lincRNA, proteomics, RNA, stem cells 1 Comment
Reprogramming cells: The post stem cell future?
Sixth in a series of posts inspired by ten topics in ‘Insights of the Decade’ from the December 17, 2010 special issue of Science Magazine The topics are: Inflammation, climatology, tricks of light, alien planets, the microbiome, cell reprogramming, Martian water, the DNA time machine, cosmology and epigenetics. The original articles are now behind a [...]
Posted in Impact: Stem Cells Also tagged cell biology, cell reprogramming, DNA, embryonic stem cells, epigenetics, genetic modification, genetics, Gurdon, iPSC, proteomics, stem cells, Yamanaka Leave a comment
First steps: Converting skin cells to blood cells without stem cells
This is an important story about stem cell research because it doesn’t involve stem cells. I know that sounds odd, but it’s true. Of course, I’m being coy. The research by Mick Bhatia, Eva Szabo and colleagues at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), published in the November 7, 2010 online issue of Nature [ Direct [...]
Posted in Impact: Stem Cells Also tagged blood cells, cell conversion, cytokines, DNA, epigenetic, fibroblast, multipotent, OCT4, POU5F1, progenitor, skin cells, stem cells Leave a comment
Stem Cells: Using RNA to reprogram adult cells
To get around the problems of developing stem cells from embryonic material (problems mostly associated with ethical and religious considerations), biologists are researching a number of ways to produce stem cells from adult cells. Keep in mind that adult cells, for example skin or muscle cells, have already ‘set’ their form and function. Returning them [...]
Posted in News: Stem Cells Also tagged adult cell, DNA, embryonic, iPSC, modified RNA, protein expression, reprogramming, RNA, stem cell Leave a comment
Stem cells: Myc does much more
To put it mildly, not thinking beyond assumptions can lead to surprises. This also applies to science. For many years scientists thought that the gene known as Myc (“mick”) plays a role in causing cancer – an oncogene – and that was all it did. It does play a role in cancer; Myc somehow lengthens [...]
Posted in Impact: Stem Cells Also tagged cancer, cell biology, cell differentiation, GATA6, molecular biology, Myc, oncogene, protein, stem cell 1 Comment
Reversing silenced genes improves quality of induced stem cells
As has been the case for more than a decade, the promise of stem cells to create breakthroughs in cell biology and medicine has been hampered by the difficulty in obtaining sufficient quantities of high quality pluripotent stem cells (cells capable of changing into almost any other kind of cell). Human embryonic stem cells are [...]
Posted in News: Stem Cells Also tagged DNA, embryonic stem cells, gene, genetic, iPSC, molecular genetics, RNA, stem cells, transcription Leave a comment
Growing stem cells to become hair cells of the inner ear
Each human ear has about 30,000 specialized hair cells that convert the vibrations of sound in the air to electrical impulses for the brain. A very loud rock concert will kill some of them. The body can’t repair or replace them. The losses are cumulative; eventually hearing loss becomes detectable. About 30% of people over [...]
Posted in News: Stem Cells Also tagged cochlea, deafness, ear hairs, ectoderm, inner ear, otic-progenitor, stem cells, stereocilia, vestibula Leave a comment
Induced stem cells: Not such good news…
It’s one of the hazards of reading science journalism, most of the news is positive – this advance, that breakthrough, etc. It’s easy to get the impression that a particular science – in this case research that creates pluripotent stem cells from adult (non-embryonic) cells – is rushing headlong to great things. It might be, [...]
New method: Creating stem cells from fat cells
Creating stem cells from adult cells – rather than using controversial embryonic material – is near the top of the list for stem cell research. So creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS – cells that can become almost any other kind of cell) from fat cells (yes, human fat cells, of which there is no [...]
Stem cell epigenomic development mapped
Completing the map of the human genome, back in 2000 and 2003, was a monumental task and a milestone on the road to understanding our genetics. Here’s another milestone: A map that shows in detail how the human genome is modified during embryonic development. Just completed and published by a team of researchers from the [...]
Posted in News: Stem Cells Also tagged DNA methylation, genetics, genome, genome map, methyl, mRNA, stem cells Leave a comment
The potentially polymorphous cell (a revolution in the making?)
One of the hazards of constant bombardment with science or technology announcements heralding something as “breakthrough,” “revolutionary,” “unprecedented,” and the like, is developing superlative fatigue. These results can’t all be great; and they’re not. Sometimes it’s just hype. Sometimes the people involved really do think they’re on to something, but they’re not. Occasionally the superlatives [...]
Posted in Impact: Stem Cells Also tagged DNA, epigenetic, iPS, neurons, skin cells, stem cells, totipotent Leave a comment
Amniotic stem cells show more promise
The amniotic fluids of human gestation are emerging as source of laboratory and medically useful stem cells. Early research had suggested this might not be the case, but techniques outlined in a new study show that not only can amniotic stem cells be used for (possibly) pluripotent stem cells, but they have a lower incidence [...]
Beyond the genome: Mapping the epigenome
Given all the coverage, most people have heard about the ‘mapping of the human genome.’ It was a big project, taking many years (1990-2003) and costing about three billion dollars. Typically it was heralded as ‘one of the greatest scientific achievements of the century.’ It was that, although among those involved it was clearly a [...]
Posted in News: DNA Decoding Also tagged DNA, epigenome, genes, microbiology, pathways, stem cells Leave a comment
Skin cells – to stem cells – to liver cells
The potential and versatility of stem cells continues to expand. Future Pundit reports on a new use: Researchers converted human skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells and then converted the stem cells into liver cells that were able to function in the livers of mice. Scientists at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee [...]
Stem cells from the umbilical cord
The sources for stem cells continue to proliferate. Umbilical cord blood cells can successfully be reprogrammed to function like embryonic stem cells, setting the basis for the creation of a comprehensive bank of tissue-matched, cord blood-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for off-the-shelf applications, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the [...]
ePSC: A new type of pluripotent stem cell