Weekly Research News Digest
This newsletter is designed to share with you research news in various fields where applications of gene sequencing can be found. It will share research findings from Novogene’s customers. By sharing insights from the most prestigious research teams, it is intended to call your attention to the latest applications of sequencing in life sciences and biomedical research and inspire your research.
It's a pleasure to reconnect with you in the Weekly Research News Digest. This issue features five articles in which researchers employed precise sequencing methods, such as Eukaryote mRNA-Seq, along with innovative in vitro models and novel biomaterials to explore key issues in research on stem cell and tissue regeneration. Together, these studies offer new perspectives and potential therapeutic strategies for stem cell therapy, tissue regeneration, and disease repair. They are good examples of the rapid development in regenerative medicine, with the potential to improve clinical outcomes and address numerous challenges currently faced in clinical practice.
ERV Silencing: A Key to Stem Cell Function and Hair Regeneration
Mammalian retrotransposons make up 40% of the genome. During tissue regeneration, adult stem cells work together to suppress retrotransposons and activate lineage-specific genes, but the mechanisms behind this coordination remain unclear. Researchers from multiple research institutions in the US jointly revealed that the expression of SETDB1, a histone methyltransferase and a retrotransposon repressor, is closely associated with stem cell activities in murine skin. SETDB1 deficiency reactivates endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), leading to viral-like particle formation, hair loss, and stem cell exhaustion, which can be reversed with antiviral drugs. Mechanistically, ERV reactivation arises from at least two distinct pathways: one involving antiviral defense mediated by hair follicle stem cells and progenitors, and another involving response triggered by replication stress in transient amplifying cells. It is facilitated by TET-mediated hydroxymethylation and recapitulated when cell fate transcription factors are deleted. These findings highlight ERV silencing as essential for adult hair regeneration.
An In Vitro Model for Human Haematopoietic and Cardiac Co-Development
The in vitro stabilization of human haematopoietic cells and haematopoietic progenitor cells in a developmental context has not been realized due to knowledge gaps and ethical constraints. As a result, in vitro systems that mimic aspects of haematopoietic development in the context of surrounding tissues are highly sought after. Researchers from Germany developed a human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart-forming organoid (HFO) that mimics the co-development of heart, vasculature, and foregut. By fine-tuning HFO differentiation, they produced blood-generating HFOs that maintain functional ventricular-like heart structures. These organoids include a mesenchyme-embedded haemogenic endothelial layer, which gives rise to multiple haematopoietic derivatives and and haematopoietic progenitors with erythro-myeloid and lymphoid potential. This model recapitulates features of both primitive and definitive haematopoiesis, providing a platform to study the co-development of cardiac, endothelial, and multipotent haematopoietic tissues in vitro.
The PCLAF-DREAM Axis: A Key Regulator of Lung Repair and Fibrosis Prevention
Cell plasticity is essential for lung regeneration, but its regulation remains poorly understood. According to a study recently published in Nature Communications, researchers identified PCLAF expression as critical for alveolar cell plasticity, specifically in proliferating lung progenitor cells and activating DREAM target genes in response to lung injury. They found that the the PCLAF-DREAM complex activates CLIC4-TGF-β signaling to promote AT1 cell generation from AT2 cells, while Pclaf deletion disrupts this process, resulting in fibrosis, and that phenelzine, by mimicking PCLAF-DREAM transcriptional activity, enhances AT2 cell plasticity and prevents fibrosis in organoids and mice. This study highlights the unexpected role of the PCLAF-DREAM axis in lung repair and its therapeutic potential for fibrosis.
Fiber-Enhanced Tissue Bandages for Pelvic Ganglia Repair and Neurogenic Bladder Treatment
Pelvic ganglia injury can result in neurogenic bladder, which significantly impacts patients’ quality of life. Yet by far, there are no effective treatments for the injury. A joint research team composed of researchers from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Medical College, and Jinzhou Medical University developed a fiber-enhanced tissue bandage combining resistance-enhancing structure and growth factor delivery to aid ganglia repair. In a rat model of pelvic ganglia injury, the bandage improved bladder function compared to injury and scaffold groups. It increased resistance to mechanical injury by enhancing cytoskeletal protein expression. Additionally, the bandage can be stored at low temperatures for over 5 months, making it a promising therapeutic option for neurogenic bladder.
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CCR8+ Treg Cells in Bone Repair: A New Mechanism for Osteoimmunology
Local immunoinflammatory events regulate skeletal stem cells (SSCs) in bone repair, yet the mechanisms remain unclear. Researchers from China identified a CCR8+ Treg cell subpopulation that promotes bone repair by secreting progranulin (PGRN), supporting SSC accumulation and osteogenic differentiation. They showed that CCL1 recruits these cells to the injury site and in these cells, CCL1 increases the expression of BATF activation, enhancing Grn transcription and driving PGRN secretion. This study offers new insights into osteoimmunology and suggests targeting Treg cell signaling as a strategy for improving bone regeneration.
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About Novogene
Novogene specializes in the application of advanced molecular biotechnology and high-performance computing in the research fields of life science and human health. Established in March 2011, Novogene strives to become a global leader in providing genetic science services and technology products. Novogene has set up operations and laboratories in the United States, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, as well as in China, Singapore and Japan.
Novogene has served over 7,300 global customers, covering 90 countries and regions across 6 continents. It has cooperated extensively with many academic institutions and completed several advanced-level, international genomics research projects. By 2023, Novogene has co-published and/or been acknowledged in more than 22,850 articles in Science Citation Index, with an accumulative impact factor of more than 148,250.
Novogene's partners are worldwide and include more than 4,200 scientific research institutions and universities, more than 680 hospitals and over 2,400 pharmaceutical and agricultural enterprises. Currently, Novogene has obtained 425 software copyrights and 76 patents.
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