Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are known to possess a relatively open chromatin structure; yet, despite efforts to characterize the chromatin signatures of ESCs, the role of chromatin compaction in stem cell fate and function remains elusive. Linker histone H1 is important for higher-order chromatin folding and is essential for mammalian embryogenesis. To investigate the role of H1 and...

(iPSC) technology [1] holds the promise of recreating disease in vitro in a patient-specific manner. There has been considerable success in using iPSC models to study early-onset genetic diseases, such as our own work on familial dysautonomia [2] or primary herpes simplex encephalitis [3]. The modeling of late-onset diseases in iPSC-derived lineages has been more challenging and such studies of...

Periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) have well documented osteogenic potential; however, this commitment can be highly heterogenous, limiting their applications in tissue regeneration. In study, we use PDLC populations characterized by high and low potential (h-PDLCs l-PDLCs, respectively) to identify possible sources of such heterogeneity investigate whether the differentiation enhanced epigenet...

Stem cell-mediated cardiac regeneration is impaired with age. In this study, we identified a novel subpopulation of small juvenile stem cells (SJSCs) isolated from aged bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) with high proliferation and differentiation potential. SJSCs expressed mesenchymal stem cell markers, CD29(+)/CD44(+)/CD59(+)/CD90(+), but were negative for CD45(-)/CD117(-) as examined by ...

The corneal epithelium is maintained by a small pool of tissue stem cells located at the limbus. Through certain injuries or diseases this pool of stem cells may get depleted. This leads to visual impairment. Standard treatment options include autologous or allogeneic limbal stem cell (LSC) transplantation, however graft rejection and chronic inflammation lowers the success rate over long time....

Human amniotic fluid contains cells that potentially have important stem cell characteristics, yet the programs controlling their developmental potency are unclear. Here, we provide evidence that amniocytes derived from multiple patients are marked by heterogeneity and variability in expression levels of pluripotency markers. Clonal analysis from multiple patients indicates that amniocytes have...

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the percentage of the stem cells population in human endometrial tissue sections and cultured cells at fourth passage. Methods: Human endometrial specimens were divided into two parts, one part for morphological studies and the other part for in vitro culture. Full thickness of human normal endometrial sections and cultured endometrial cells ...

The ability to induce the reprogramming of somatic mammalian cells to a pluripotent state by the forced expression of specific transcription factors has helped redefine the rules of cell fate and plasticity, as well as open possibilities for disease modeling, drug screening and regenerative medicine. Here, we hypothesized that the non-viral forced expression of the four originally discovered de...

BACKGROUND The pluripotency and self renewing properties of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) make them a valuable tool in the fields of developmental biology, pharmacology and regenerative medicine. Therefore, there exists immense interest in devising strategies for hESC propagation and differentiation. Methods involving simulation of the native stem cell microenvironment, both chemical and ph...

Mouse and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may represent a novel approach for modeling diabetes. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to generate and evaluate differentiation potential of iPSCs from lep(db/db) (db/db) mice, the model of diabetes type 2 as well as from patients with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young 3 (HNF1A MODY). Murine iPSC colonies from bo...