Dysfunction of pancreatic δ cells contributes to the etiology of diabetes. Despite their important role, human δ cells are scarce, limiting physiological studies and drug discovery targeting δ cells. To date, no directed δ-cell differentiation method has been established. Here, we demonstrate that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 7 promotes pancreatic ... More
Production, concentration and titration of pseudotyped HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors.
AuthorsKutner RH, Zhang XY, Reiser J,
JournalNat Protoc
PubMed ID19300443
'Over the past decade, lentiviral vectors have emerged as powerful tools for transgene delivery. The use of lentiviral vectors has become commonplace and applications in the fields of neuroscience, hematology, developmental biology, stem cell biology and transgenesis are rapidly emerging. Also, lentiviral vectors are at present being explored in the ... More
IDH mutation impairs histone demethylation and results in a block to cell differentiation.
Recurrent mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 have been identified in gliomas, acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) and chondrosarcomas, and share a novel enzymatic property of producing 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) from a-ketoglutarate. Here we report that 2HG-producing IDH mutants can prevent the histone demethylation that is required for lineage-specific progenitor ... More
Characterization of pluripotent stem cells.
AuthorsMartí M, Mulero L, Pardo C, Morera C, Carrió M, Laricchia-Robbio L, Esteban CR, Izpisua Belmonte JC,
JournalNat Protoc
PubMed ID23306458
Characterization of pluripotent stem cells is required for the registration of stem cell lines and allows for an impartial and objective comparison of the results obtained when generating multiple lines. It is therefore crucial to establish specific, fast and reliable protocols to detect the hallmarks of pluripotency. Such protocols should ... More