Cross-species comparison of gene expression profiles allows deciphering fundamental and species-specific transcriptional programs of cells and offers insight into organization and evolution of the genome and genetic network. Here, we propose an algorithm for comparing microarray data from different species to unravel transcriptional modules that are conserved or divergent through evolution. The...

Whether and how DNA methylation influences the binding of transcription factors (TFs) to their corresponding DNA sequence motifs in vivo remains largely unresolved. In a recent publication, Schübeler and coworkers (Domcke et al, 2015) identify a few methylation-restricted TFs in mouse embryonic stem cells, including NRF1. The authors show that NRF1 binding to its motif can be outcompeted by de ...

Large-scale RNAi-based screens are a major technology, but require adequate prioritization and validation of candidate genes from the primary screen. In this work, we performed a large-scale pooled shRNA screen in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to discover genes associated with oxidative stress resistance and found several candidates. We then developed a bioinformatics pipeline to prioritize...

SP600125 is an inhibitor of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), which plays a fundamental role in regulating animal development. Using SP600125 to deal with the mouse embryonic stem cells, it is revealed that the number of the ESC colonies decreased and the size became smaller. With treatment by SP600125, the proliferation of mouse ES cells is seriously inhibited for the cycle arrested in the G2/M...

An improved understanding of the role of extracellular factors in controlling the embryonic stem cell (ESC) phenotype will aid the development of cell-based therapies. While the role of extracellular factors in controlling the pluripotency and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) has been the subject of much investigation, the identity and role of extrinsic factors in modulating ESC g...

The way to overcome current limitations in the generation of glucose-responsive insulin-producing cells is selective enrichment of the number of definitive endoderm (DE) progenitor cells. Sox17 is the marker of mesendoderm and definitive endoderm. The aim of the present research was to study the potential of Sox17 knock-in CGR8 mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to differentiate into insulin produ...

We report the first fluorescent diamino-chalcone library and its application in the discovery of a mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) probe. CDg4, a novel green fluorescent mESC probe was discovered through a high-content image based screening of 160 members of the chalcone library. Interestingly, the molecular binding target of CDg4 was identified as the glycogen of the stem cell colony surface,...

Myelination in the central nervous system is the process by which oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around the axons of neurons. Myelination enables neurons to transmit informationmore quickly and more efficiently and allows for more complex brain functions; yet, remarkably, the underlying mechanism by which myelination occurs is still not fully understood. A reliable in vitro assay is essen...

Myelination in the central nervous system is the process by which oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around the axons of neurons. Myelination enables neurons to transmit informationmore quickly and more efficiently and allows for more complex brain functions; yet, remarkably, the underlying mechanism by which myelination occurs is still not fully understood. A reliable in vitro assay is essen...