BACKGROUND Fluorescent reporters are useful for assaying gene expression in living cells and for identifying and isolating pure cell populations from heterogeneous cultures, including embryonic stem (ES) cells. Multiple fluorophores and genetic selection markers exist; however, a system for creating reporter constructs that preserve the regulatory sequences near a gene's native ATG start site h...

BACKGROUND Here, we demonstrate the successful differentiation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into functional thyroid cells indicating the therapeutic potential of this approach when applied to individuals with thyroid deficiency. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using embryonic murine fibroblasts, we generated iPS cells with a single lentiviral "stem cell cassette" vector and then differ...

The phenotypic heterogeneity of astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumor cells complicates establishing accurate diagnostic criteria, and lineage-specific markers would facilitate diagnosis of glioma subtypes. Based on data from the literature and from expression microarrays, we selected molecules relevant to gliogenesis and glial lineage specificity and then used immunohistochemistry to assess ex...

BACKGROUND The occurrence of a congenital heart defect has long been thought to have a multifactorial basis, but the evidence is indirect. Complex trait analysis could provide a more nuanced understanding of congenital heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We assessed the role of genetic and environmental factors on the incidence of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) caused by a heterozygous Nkx2...

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) represent the biggest fraction of morbid congenital anomalies worldwide. Owing to their complex inheritance patterns and multifactorial etiologies, these defects are difficult to identify before complete manifestation. Research over the past two decades has established firmly the role of genetics in the development of these congenital defects. While syndromic CHD...

Homeobox containing transcription factors are frequently deregulated in human hematologic malignant diseases either indirectly through an abnormality of an upstream factor, or directly through rearrangement of the gene itself. Study of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia identified the related non-clustered homeobox transcription factors, TLX1 and TLX3, as frequently ectopically expressed as a ...

Many lineage-specific developmental regulator genes are transcriptionally primed in embryonic stem (ES) cells; RNA Pol(II) is bound at their promoters but is prevented from productive elongation by the activity of polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) 1 and 2. This epigenetically poised state is thought to enable ES cells to rapidly execute multiple differentiation programs and is recognized by a...

957 Letter to the Editor Nonbone Marrow–Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells: What Is Their Exact Location? Alexandra Aicher, Stefanie Dimmeler, Christopher Heeschen Web Site Feature e102 On the cover: The image shows on the left the formation of the pulmonary myocardial sleeves by rapid proliferation of the just-differentiated myocardium (section of an E12.5 embryo stained for BrdU (red), cTnI...

Androgen-ablation therapies, which are the standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, invariably lead to acquired resistance. Hence, a systematic identification of additional drivers may provide useful insights into the development of effective therapies. Numerous microRNAs that are critical for metastasis are dysregulated in metastatic prostate cancer, but the underlying molecular mech...