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Polycomb Repressor Complexes (PRCs) are important regulators of embryogenesis. In embryonic stem (ES) cells many genes that regulate subsequent stages in development are enriched at their promoters for PRC1, PRC2 and Ser 5-phosphorylated RNA Polymerase II (RNAP), and contain domains of 'bivalent' chromatin (enriched for H3K4me3; histone H3 di-or trimethylated at Lys 4 and H3K27me3; histone H3 trim

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent, self-renewing, and have the ability to reprogram differentiated cell types to pluripotency upon cellular fusion. Polycomb-group (PcG) proteins are important for restraining the inappropriate expression of lineage-specifying factors in ESCs. To investigate whether PcG proteins are required for establishing, rather than maintaining, the pluripotent state,

REST is a transcriptional repressor that targets a group of neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells. In embryonic stem (ES) cells, REST has been implicated in controlling the expression of transcription factor genes that are crucial for lineage determination and for maintaining ES cell potential. Here, we asked whether REST directly regulates neural-specifying genes in mouse ES cells using siRNA-medi

Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells by overexpressing combinations of factors such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. Reprogramming is slow and stochastic, suggesting the existence of barriers limiting its efficiency. Here we identify senescence as one such barrier. Expression of the four reprogramming factors triggers senescence by up-regulating p53, p16INK4a,

Satb1 and the closely related Satb2 proteins regulate gene expression and higher-order chromatin structure of multigene clusters in vivo. In examining the role of Satb proteins in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells, we find that Satb1-/- cells display an impaired differentiation potential and augmented expression of the pluripotency determinants Nanog, Klf4, and Tbx3. Metastable states of self-renew

In T lymphocytes, lipid rafts are preferred sites for signal transduction initiation and amplification. Many cell membrane receptors, such as the TCR, coreceptors, and accessory molecules associate within these microdomains upon cell activation. However, it is still unclear in most cases whether these receptors interact with rafts through lipid-based amino acid modifications or whether raft insert

Differentiated cells can be reprogrammed through the formation of heterokaryons and hybrid cells when fused with embryonic stem (ES) cells. Here, we provide evidence that conversion of human B-lymphocytes towards a multipotent state is initiated much more rapidly than previously thought, occurring in transient heterokaryons before nuclear fusion and cell division. Interestingly, reprogramming of h

Although differentiated cells normally retain cell-type-specific gene expression patterns throughout their lifetime, cell identity can sometimes be modified or reversed in vivo by transdifferentiation, or experimentally through cell fusion or by nuclear transfer. To examine the epigenetic changes that are required for the dominant conversion of lymphocytes to muscle, we generated heterokaryons bet

Iron overload in the liver may occur in clinical conditions such as hemochromatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and may lead to the deterioration of the normal liver architecture by mechanisms not well understood. Although a relationship between the expression of ICAM-1, and classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, and iron over-load has been reported, no relations

T cell homeostasis is largely controlled by a balance between cell death and survival and anomalies in either process account for a number of diseases linked to excessive or faulty T cell growth. Yet, the influence that cells outside the immunological system have on these processes has only recently received attention. Accumulated evidence indicate that homeostasis of the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell pool

We have recently reported that red blood cells (RBC) promote T cell growth and survival by inhibiting activation-induced T cell death. In the present study, we have examined parameters of oxidative stress and intracellular iron in activated T cells and correlated these data with the expression of ferritin, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and the transferrin receptor CD71. T cells growing in the presence

Red blood cells (RBC) are known to modulate T cell proliferation and function possibly through downregulation of oxidative stress. By examining parameters of activation, division, and cell death in vitro, we show evidence that the increase in survival afforded by RBC is due to the maintenance of the proliferative capacity of the activated T cells. We also show that the CD3+CD8+ T cell subset was p

Birth defects, which are in part caused by exposure to environmental chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs, affect 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States each year. The current standard to screen drugs that affect embryonic development is based on prenatal animal testing; however, this approach yields low-throughput and limited mechanistic information regarding the biological pathways and pot

Marketing has historically been entangled with the study of geography, which has become a very popular focus in the marketing literature nowadays. However, spatially-oriented perspectives in marketing tend to rest on a conceptual divide between place-oriented and space-oriented thinking, thus inhibiting the production of more eclectic and creative spatial knowledge. This conceptual paper endeavors

Background. During early mouse development, two extra-embryonic lineages form alongside the future embryo: the trophectoderm (TE) and the primitive endoderm (PrE). Epigenetic changes known to take place during these early stages include changes in DNA methylation and modified histones, as well as dynamic changes in gene expression. Results. In order to understand the role and extent of chromatin-b

Human intrahepatic lymphocytes are enriched in CD1d-unrestricted T cells coexpressing NKR. Although the origin of this population remains controversial, it is possible to speculate that the hepatic microenvironment, namely epithelial cells or the cytokine milieu, may play a role in its shaping. IL-15 is constitutively expressed in the liver and has a key role in activation and survival of innate a

Quaternary ammonium (QA) cations with high alkaline stability are crucial for the long term performance of anion-exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells. Here, we have tethered poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) with 8 different hetero-cycloaliphatic QA cations via pentyl spacer chains. The thermal and alkaline stability, as well as hydroxide ion conductivity, were systematically evaluated with the primary ai

Background: The majority of antibiotics consumed in developed countries are prescribed in primary care. However, little is known about resistance levels in the primary care population. Method: Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained from children, 0-10 years of age, seeking care at their Primary Health Care Centre with symptoms of respiratory tract infection. Parental questionnaires were used to ret