scholarly journals Generation of iPSCs from endangered Grevy's zebra and comparative transcriptomic analysis of mammalian PSCs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Endo ◽  
Ken-ichiro Kamei ◽  
Koichi Hasegawa ◽  
Keisuke Okita ◽  
Hideyuki Ito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Species Variation ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Differentiation Potential ◽  
Equus Grevyi ◽  
Primary Fibroblasts ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Grevy’S Zebra ◽  
First Time

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can provide a biological resource for functional and conservation research in various species. This expectation has led to generation of iPSCs from various species, including those identified as endangered species. However, the understanding of species variation in mammalian iPSCs is largely unknown. Here, to gain insight into the species variation in iPSCs, we the first generated iPSCs from the endangered species Grevy′s zebra (Equus grevyi; gz-iPSCs) for the first time in the world. We isolated primary fibroblasts cell from an individual that had died of natural causes at a zoo and reprogrammed the fibroblasts into iPSCs. We confirmed their pluripotency and differentiation potential and performed RNA sequencing analysis. The gz-iPSC transcriptome showed that the generated gz-iPSCs robustly expressed genes associated with pluripotency and reprogramming processes, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions. Comparative transcriptomics with other species revealed patterns of gene expression among mammalian PSCs and detected evolutionary conservation of pluripotency-associated genes and the plausible importance of the translation process. This study provides new insights into the evolution of mammalian PSCs, and the species conservation and variation of PSCs will advance our understanding of the early development of mammals.

scholarly journals Red Data Books

Oryx ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-304
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Monitoring Centre ◽  
The Past ◽  
Service Commission ◽  
Single Idea ◽  
First Time

It is arguable that the most brilliant single idea in wildlife conservation in the past quarter of a century has been the Red Data Books for endangered species. They are certainly the most widely known activity of IUCN, and were the brainchild of Sir Peter Scott, for many years Chairman of IUCN's Survival Service Commission and now, among many other distinctions, President of the ffPS. The first RDBs, compiled by Noel Simon for mammals and Jack Vincent for birds, were published in 1966. The amount of material available, together with the accelerating slide of so many animals towards extinction, soon made the original horse-and-buggy arrangements for compiling the RDBs out of date, and there was a serious possibility that they would cease to be regarded as the authoritative works of reference they had become. Fortunately there were sufficient concerned people to persuade WWF and IUCN into financing the Species Conservation Monitoring Unit at Cambridge (now part of the IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre), and for the first time the RDB operation was properly housed, staffed and equipped.

Mini Review; Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Oocytes

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaifang Wang ◽  
Maryam Farzaneh
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Human Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Human Oocyte ◽  
Differentiation Potential ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Cell Based Therapy ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is one of the main diseases causing female infertility that occurs in about 1% of women between 30-40 years of age. There are few effective methods for the treatment of women with POI. In the past few years, stem cell-based therapy as one of the most highly investigated new therapies has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of POI. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into any type of cell. Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) as a type of pluripotent stem cells are the most powerful candidate for the treatment of POI. Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) are derived from adult somatic cells by the treatment with exogenous defined factors to create an embryonic-like pluripotent state. Both hiPSCs and hESCs can proliferate and give rise to ectodermal, mesodermal, endodermal, and germ cell lineages. After ovarian stimulation, the number of available oocytes is limited and the yield of total oocytes with high quality is low. Therefore, a robust and reproducible in-vitro culture system that supports the differentiation of human oocytes from PSCs is necessary. Very few studies have focused on the derivation of oocyte-like cells from hiPSCs and the details of hPSCs differentiation into oocytes have not been fully investigated. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the differentiation potential of hPSCs into human oocyte-like cells.

New locality records and call description of the Resplendent Shrub Frog Raorchestes resplendens (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 16502-16509
Author(s):  
Sandeep Das ◽  
K.P. Rajkumar ◽  
K.A. Sreejith ◽  
M. Royaltata ◽  
P.S. Easa
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Small Area ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
Controlled Burning ◽  
New Locations ◽  
Southern Western Ghats ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract: The Resplendent Shrub Frog, Raorchestes resplendens Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, & Bossuyt, 2010 is a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats and was considered to be restricted to a three-square kilometer patch atop Anamudi summit.  In this study, we report 36 new locations of the species from the Anamalai massif of the southern Western Ghats.  Niche-based prediction modelling suggests that the species is restricted to Anamalai massif.  The call description of this frog is also provided for the first time. The preferred microhabitat of the frog is Chrysopogon grass clumps in the marshy/swampy montane grassland ecosystem. Restricted to a small area with controlled burning management practiced in its habitat, R. resplendens needs immediate attention.

scholarly journals Finding the win‐win strategies in endangered species conservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Converse ◽  
Hannah A. Sipe
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Species Conservation

scholarly journals Exploration of Alternative Splicing Events in Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 737
Author(s):  
Ji-Eun Jeong ◽  
Binna Seol ◽  
Han-Seop Kim ◽  
Jae-Yun Kim ◽  
Yee-Sook Cho
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Insight Into

Although comparative genome-wide transcriptomic analysis has provided insight into the biology of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs), the distinct alternative splicing (AS) signatures of iMSCs remain elusive. Here, we performed Illumina RNA sequencing analysis to characterize AS events in iMSCs compared with tissue-derived MSCs. A total of 4586 differentially expressed genes (|FC| > 2) were identified between iMSCs and umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (UCB-MSCs), including 2169 upregulated and 2417 downregulated genes. Of these, 164 differentially spliced events (BF > 20) in 112 genes were identified between iMSCs and UCB-MSCs. The predominant type of AS found in iMSCs was skipped exons (43.3%), followed by retained introns (19.5%), alternative 3′ (15.2%) and 5′ (12.8%) splice sites, and mutually exclusive exons (9.1%). Functional enrichment analysis showed that the differentially spliced genes (|FC| > 2 and BF > 20) were mainly enriched in functions associated with focal adhesion, extracellular exosomes, extracellular matrix organization, cell adhesion, and actin binding. Splice isoforms of selected genes including TRPT1, CNN2, and AP1G2, identified in sashimi plots, were further validated by RT-PCR analysis. This study provides valuable insight into the biology of iMSCs and the translation of mechanistic understanding of iMSCs into therapeutic applications.

The fossil history of Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi) in equatorial East Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Tyler Faith ◽  
Christian A. Tryon ◽  
Daniel J. Peppe ◽  
David L. Fox
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Equus Grevyi ◽  
History Of ◽  
Grevy’S Zebra

scholarly journals Strongylids (Nematoda: Strongylidae) in two zebra species from the “Askania-Nova” Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine: biodiversity and parasite community structure

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-180
Author(s):  
T. Kuzmina ◽  
V. Kharchenko ◽  
N. Zvegintsova ◽  
L. Zhang ◽  
J. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Equus Grevyi ◽  
Equus Burchelli ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Grevy’S Zebra ◽  
Species Composition And Structure

AbstractSpecies composition and structure of strongylid (Nematoda: Strongylidae) community were examined in 15 plains zebras (Equus burchelli) and 8 Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) kept in the “Askania-Nova” Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine). Strongylids were collected from zebras in vivo following deworming with the “Univerm” (0.2 % aversectin C, Russia). Twenty-two strongylid species (3 species of subfamily Strongylinae and 19 — of Cyathostominae) were found. In plains zebras, 21 strongylid species were found; from 3 to 14 species per host. In Grevy’s zebras, 18 strongylid species were recorded; from 4 to 14 species per host. Cyathostominae dominated in the communities of both zebra species; they composed more then 99 % of strongylid number. Comparison of strongylid biodiversity in plains zebras from the “Askania-Nova” reserve with data collected from four African countries showed low similarity of strongylid faunas in zebras from Ukraine and Africa; the strongylid community was similar to those of domestic ponies from the same area.

Generation of 2.5D lung bud organoid from human induced pluripotent stem cell

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Xun Xu ◽  
Yan Nie ◽  
Weiwei Wang ◽  
Imran Ullah ◽  
Wing Tai Tung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
3D Culture ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
Cell Seeding ◽  
Differentiation Potential ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Defined Culture

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a promising cell source to generate the patient-specific lung organoid given their superior differentiation potential. However, the current 3D cell culture approach is tedious and time-consuming with a low success rate and high batch-to-batch variability. Here, we explored the establishment of lung bud organoids by systematically adjusting the initial confluence levels and homogeneity of cell distribution. The efficiency of single cell seeding and clump seeding was compared. Instead of the traditional 3D culture, we established a 2.5D organoid culture to enable the direct monitoring of the internal structure via microscopy. It was found that the cell confluence and distribution prior to induction were two key parameters, which strongly affected hiPSC differentiation trajectories. Lung bud organoids with positive expression of NKX 2.1, in a single-cell seeding group with homogeneously distributed hiPSCs at 70%confluence (SC_70%_hom) or a clump seeding group with heterogeneously distributed cells at 90%confluence (CL_90%_het), can be observed as early as 9 days post induction. These results suggest that a successful lung bud organoid formation with single-cell seeding of hiPSCs requires a moderate confluence and homogeneous distribution of cells, while high confluence would be a prominent factor to promote the lung organoid formation when seeding hiPSCs as clumps. 2.5D organoids generated with defined culture conditions could become a simple, efficient, and valuable tool facilitating drug screening, disease modeling and personalized medicine.

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