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Researchers uncover the inside story on plant organ growth

A study by John Innes Centre researchers reveals that inner tissues play a crucial role in shaping plant organs, contradicting the widespread assumption that external layers control growth. By analyzing cell division orientation and gene editing techniques, they discovered genes affecting stem thickness in Arabidopsis.

SourceJohn Innes Centre·JournalCurrent Biology·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 8, 2026

A CNIO group contributes to identifying which breast lesions will progress to cancer, thus helping avoid overtreatment

A study by the CNIO group has identified a genetic signature in precancerous breast lesions that can predict which ones will evolve into invasive tumours. This discovery could help avoid over-treatment of women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, a common precancerous lesion.

SourceCentro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO)·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 20, 2026

20 nM Pladienolide B +6 h treatment = totipotent stem cells? The new method captures totipotency

A new method captures totipotency using a short-term high-dose treatment of Pladienolide B, reprogramming classical mouse embryonic stem cells into transient totipotent blastomere-like stem cells. These cells exhibit remarkable developmental potential and self-organize into blastoid structures mimicking early embryonic development.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Life Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 9, 2025

A chemical approach to expand the developmental potentials of conventional human pluripotent stem cells

Scientists discovered a novel method to activate extraembryonic trophoblast potentials in conventional human pluripotent stem cells through transient treatment of epigenetic regulators. This approach holds promise for advancing understanding and treatment of diseases related to placental development.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Life Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 14, 2025

Life on Earth was more diverse than classical theory suggests 800 million years ago, a Brazilian study shows

A Brazilian study published in PNAS suggests that life on Earth was more diverse than classical theory suggests 800 million years ago, with multiple lineages of amoebae and ancestors of plants, algae, and animals already established. The study's findings challenge the long-held paradigm for the Neoproterozoic period and provide new ins...

SourceFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 4, 2024

Enlighten me

Researchers at Kyoto University discovered that liverwort Marchantia polymorpha uses gibberellin precursors to produce a signaling molecule aiding survival under shaded conditions. This metabolic pathway inheritance provides insight into the evolution of plant hormone responses.

SourceKyoto University·JournalThe Plant Cell·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 3, 2023

Weiss-Kruszka syndrome and the failure to establish neuronal identity

Researchers identified the molecular mechanism underlying Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by craniofacial anomalies and autistic features. The study reveals that the ZFP462 gene mutation leads to a failure to safeguard neural lineage specification during early embryonic development.

SourceIMBA- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences·JournalNature Cell Biology·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 5, 2023

Double agents: How stomach stem cells change allegiance upon injury

A molecular switch, p57, enables stomach stem cells to change allegiance from normal digestion to injury response, potentially leading to new treatments for gastric pathologies. The study's findings suggest that p57 is a key regulator of reserve stem cell state in gastric chief cells.

How genome organization influences cell fate

A team of researchers at UC Riverside has discovered that a protein complex called CAF-1 controls genome organization to maintain lineage fidelity in blood stem cells. The study found that CAF-1 keeps specific genomic sites compacted and inaccessible to transcription factors, ensuring the expression of lineage-specific genes.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 29, 2022

Imaging method predicts how well stem cells can differentiate into cardiac muscle cells

A new imaging technique developed by the Skala Lab can predict the efficiency of cardiomyocyte differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells, providing a non-invasive quality control method. The technique uses autofluorescence to measure metabolic activity and has been shown to be accurate in predicting outcome with high consistency.

SourceMorgridge Institute for Research·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 28, 2021

Yale researchers create 'Ancestry.com' for cells

Researchers at Yale University have developed a method to recreate the earliest stages of cellular development, allowing scientists to track individual cell lineages. By analyzing tiny variations in skin cells' genomes, they can reconstruct the early lineage trees for each person, shedding light on human biology and potentially diagnos...

SourceYale University·JournalScience·DateMar 18, 2021

Cell-cell signaling promotes invariability in sea squirt embryogenesis

Researchers discovered precise cell-to-cell contact areas required for invariant embryonic cell lineages, suggesting a range of cell signaling events limits reproducibility during development. Ascidian embryos maintain highly regimented cell-fate from early developmental stages to later stages, even between distantly related species.

A molecular 'atlas' of animal development

A team from the University of Pennsylvania has created a comprehensive molecular map of every cell in a developing animal embryo, using single-cell genomics methods. The study provides insights into how cells specialize their function during development and could lead to breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and cellular engineering.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania·JournalScience·DateSep 5, 2019

Who am I? How cells find their identity

A team of scientists led by Alex Schier has developed a new method to trace the entire history of individual cell differentiation. They discovered that cells can leave their initial path and change their identity, leading to a more flexible developmental program than previously thought.

SourceUniversity of Basel·JournalScience·DateApr 26, 2018

Lineage trees reveal cells' histories

Weizmann Institute scientists have disproved a claim about the origin of eggs in female mammals and created a new method for reconstructing lineage trees for cells. The study found that ova cannot be descended from bone-marrow stem cells, but older mice eggs undergo more cell divisions than younger ones.

SourceWeizmann Institute of Science·JournalPLOS Genetics·DateFeb 23, 2012

Pluripotent and differentiated human cells reside in decidedly different epigenomic landscapes

Researchers discovered that human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and lineage-committed cells have drastically different epigenomic landscapes. The unique epigenome of each cell type directs the cell to interpret its genetic information differently in response to environmental factors, influencing their development and function.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalCell Stem Cell·DateMay 6, 2010

Case Western Reserve University discovers Merkel cell originates from skin, not the neural crest

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that Merkel cells, responsible for touch perception, originate from the skin, contradicting previous speculation. The study's results provide significant insights into the development and function of Merkel cells, which may hold implications for understanding Merkel cell carcinoma.

SourceCase Western Reserve University·JournalDevelopmental Biology·DateOct 2, 2009

A bug's life: aging and death inE. coli

A study published in PLOS Biology found that E. coli bacteria, which reproduce symmetrically, have a reduced growth rate, decreased offspring formation, and increased risk of dying compared to cells inheriting new poles.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Biology·DateJan 31, 2005

A new role for a versatile stem cell

A recent study published in JCI Journals reveals that a versatile stem cell can be repurposed to enhance tissue repair and regeneration in various tissues. The researchers discovered that the stem cell can differentiate into multiple cell types to facilitate the healing process.

SourceJCI Journals·JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation·DateMay 15, 2002