scholarly journals The Role of RNA Methylation in Regulating Stem Cell Fate and Function-Focus on m6A

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Weiwei Sun ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Qingli Bie ◽  
Na Ma ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
...  

The biological role of RNA methylation in stem cells has attracted increasing attention. Recent studies have demonstrated that RNA methylation plays a crucial role in self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity of stem cells. In this review, we focus on the biological role of RNA methylation modifications including N6-methyladenosine, 5-methylcytosine, and uridylation in embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and cancer stem cells, so as to provide new insights into the potential innovative treatments of cancer or other complex diseases.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Giacca

Abstract Purpose of Review Until recently, cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction has remained a holy grail in cardiology. Failure of clinical trials using adult stem cells and scepticism about the actual existence of such cells has reinforced the notion that the heart is an irreversibly post-mitotic organ. Recent evidence has drastically challenged this conclusion. Recent Findings Cardiac regeneration can successfully be obtained by at least two strategies. First, new cardiomyocytes can be generated from embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells and administered to the heart either as cell suspensions or upon ex vivo generation of contractile myocardial tissue. Alternatively, the endogenous capacity of cardiomyocytes to proliferate can be stimulated by the delivery of individual genes or, more successfully, of selected microRNAs. Summary Recent experimental success in large animals by both strategies now fuels the notion that cardiac regeneration is indeed possible. Several technical hurdles, however, still need to be addressed and solved before broad and successful clinical application is achieved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Hun Kim ◽  
Jeoung Hyun Nam ◽  
Man Ryul Lee ◽  
Yongsung Hwang ◽  
Eun Soo Park

Background: Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) complement the disadvantages of conventional embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells, and have the advantages of simplicity of production and pluripotency. Some recent studies have applied hiPSC in cell therapy.Methods: In this study, we examined the effect of cells similar to cord blood endothelial colony-forming cells (CB-ECFCs), differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells, on angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation in the proliferative phase of wound healing. For cell transfer, we used methacrylated gelatin (GelMA)-co-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) cryogel, which has better bioactivity than conventional hydrogels and excellent mechanical properties and swelling capacity. Two full-thickness skin defects, 0.8 cm in diameter, were made in each of our 12 experimental mice. Wound splinting models were used to prevent contraction of the wounds. In each of the experimental animals, 5×10<sup>5</sup> cells were applied with GelMA-co-PSS cryogel in one of the two wounds, while only a culture medium with cryogel was applied to the other wound.Results: Wound reduction rates in the experimental side showed increases compared to the control side in 3 days, but there was no statistical significance. The histological score was significantly increased (P<0.05), and histologic examination showed that angiogenesis and granulation formation were also increased in the experiment side.Conclusion: In conclusion, CB-ECFCs-like cells differentiated from hiPSCs were effective in promoting formation of angiogenesis and granulation tissue in a mouse wound healing model.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (8) ◽  
pp. 2094-2104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Joon Joo ◽  
Honsoul Kim ◽  
Sang-Wook Park ◽  
Hyun-Jai Cho ◽  
Hyo-Soo Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) plays a crucial role in vascular and hematopoietic development, mainly through its cognate receptor Tie2. However, little is known about the precise role of Ang1 in embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation. In the present study, we used COMP-Ang1 (a soluble and potent variant of Ang1) to explore the effect of Ang1 on endothelial and hematopoietic differentiation of mouse ESCs in an OP9 coculture system and found that Ang1 promoted endothelial cell (EC) differentiation from Flk-1+ mesodermal precursors. This effect mainly occurred through Tie2 signaling and was altered in the presence of soluble Tie2-Fc. We accounted for this Ang1-induced expansion of ECs as enhanced proliferation and survival. Ang1 also had an effect on CD41+ cells, transient precursors that can differentiate into both endothelial and hematopoietic lineages. Intriguingly, Ang1 induced the preferential differentiation of CD41+ cells toward ECs instead of hematopoietic cells. This EC expansion promoted by Ang1 was also recapitulated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and human ESCs. We successfully achieved in vivo neovascularization in mice by transplantation of ECs obtained from Ang1-stimulated ESCs. We conclude that Ang1/Tie2 signaling has a pivotal role in ESC-EC differentiation and that this effect can be exploited to expand EC populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Hu ◽  
Ge Shan

Noncoding RNAs are critical regulatory factors in essentially all forms of life. Stem cells occupy a special position in cell biology and Biomedicine, and emerging results show that multiple ncRNAs play essential roles in stem cells. We discuss some of the known ncRNAs in stem cells such as embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, adult stem cells, and cancer stem cells with a focus on long ncRNAs. Roles and functional mechanisms of these lncRNAs are summarized, and insights into current and future studies are presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Yola Eka Erwinda

The potency of stem cells in treatment or therapy is widely known due the properties of stem cells to differentiate into specialized cell type in the body. Application stem cells in medicine and therapy is mostly used for alternative treatment of diseases that could not be cured using chemical or other biological drugs, such as non-communicable diseases. In general, stem cells are classified in three types, namely Adult Stem Cells (ASC), Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC), and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Each type of the cells has advantages and drawbacks for application in medicine and therapy. This review investigates whether iPS is the best approach for non-communicable disease treatment among other stem cell types.


Author(s):  
Ishita Paliwal

Cancer develops when healthy cells experience a mutation, allowing for rapid and abnormal growth. Mutagens, such as radiation and carcinogens, allow fast-growth variant cells to be positively selected and thus propagate the development of cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy are prevailing, but non-ideal forms of cancer treatment as they can harm healthy cells in the body. Stem cells can be used to replace the healthy cells that were lost, but there are ethical concerns regarding the acquisition of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), or technicalities in obtainment and usage of adult stem cells (ASCs). Thus, the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) allows for the use of ASCs that are given the pluripotent characteristics of ESCs. In 2018, Kooreman and his colleagues from Stanford University coaxed iPSCs to display the epitopes of breast cancer. After exposing mice with breast cancer to iPSCs, 70% of the mice had a decreased tumour size compared to control mice. Thus, iPSCs may work as a vaccine for cancer and potentially treat and cure the disease. Further research is required to study the feasibility of the use of iPSCs for human breast cancer. 


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua G. Dierolf ◽  
Hailey L.M. Hunter ◽  
Andrew J. Watson ◽  
Dean H Betts

Cellular metabolism plays both an active and passive role in embryonic development, pluripotency, and cell-fate decisions. However, little is known regarding the role of metabolism in regulating the recently described formative pluripotent state. The pluripotent developmental continuum features a metabolic switch from a bivalent metabolism (both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation) in naive cells, to predominantly glycolysis in primed cells. We investigated the role of pyruvate kinase muscle isoforms (PKM1/2) in naive, formative, and primed mouse embryonic stem cells through modulation of PKM1/2 mRNA transcripts using steric blocking morpholinos that downregulate PKM2 and upregulate PKM1. We have examined these effects in naive, formative, and primed cells by quantifying the effects of PKM1/2 modulation on pluripotent and metabolic transcripts and by measuring shifts in the population frequencies of cells expressing naive and primed cell surface markers by flow cytometry. Our results demonstrate that modulating PKM1 and PKM2 levels alters the transition from the naive state into a primed pluripotent state by enhancing the proportion of the affected cells seen in the formative state. Therefore, we conclude that PKM1/2 actively contributes to mechanisms that oversee early stem pluripotency and their progression towards a primed pluripotent state.


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