Retinoic Acid Found to Regulate Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development
October 2013 | mcewencentre.com
During early embryonic development, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) develop from a specialized population of endothelial cells known as the hemogenic endothelium (HE). Events that govern this process are largely unknown, however a recent article by McEwen Centre Director Dr. Gordon Keller and his team, which was published in Cell, has shed light on this topic by identifying a key regulator of HSC development.
The study was led by Dr. Bhaskar Chanda who demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA), which plays an important role in many aspects of hematopoietic development, significantly enhanced the potential for hemogenic endothelial cells to develop into HSCs.
Interestingly, the ability of RA to enhance HSC development was mediated by downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This suggests that the Wnt pathway, which is critical for the generation of HE, is inhibited by RA to promote HSC development.
These findings move researchers one step closer to being able to generate renewable sources of HSCs for use in clinical and research applications.
Retinoic acid signaling is essential for embryonic hematopoietic stem cell development. Chanda B, Ditadi A, Iscove NN, Keller G. Cell. 2013 Sept 26. [Pubmed abstract]
Award Honours McEwen Breakthrough
McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. Peter Zandstra has been awarded the prestigious 2012 Till & McCulloch Award for his pioneering work on the development of a new hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) culture system (Cell Stem Cell February 2012).
Normally HSCs secrete paracrine factors that inhibit their expansion—a limiting factor when trying to expand these cells in the lab. Dr. Zandstra’s automated system overcomes this restraint by minimizing the accumulation of the secreted factors. Dr. Zandstra will accept the award and present the Till & McCulloch lecture on “Engineering pluripotent stem cell derived microtissues” at the 2013 Till & McCulloch Meetings.
Financial Boost for Cancer Genomics Research
The Ministry of Research and Innovation has announced a $3.3M investment to support an innovative project led by McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. John Dick. The project aims to establish a cutting edge “Centre for Cancer Epigenomics” that brings together leading investigators in clinical and basic cancer research from across the Toronto region and will be the first research program in Canada fully dedicated to studying cancer genomics.
McEwen Researcher Awarded Training Funds
Congratulations to McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. Molly Shoichet on her successful application to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program. As one of only four successful projects, Dr. Shoichet’s program will provide trainees the opportunity to gain research experience in cell manufacturing, biomaterials and tissue mimetics.
Keystone Symposia on Stem Cells and Cancer
Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2014 Keystone Symposia on Stem Cells and Cancer, which will be held in Banff, Alberta on Feb 2-7th, 2014. The conference will focus on different aspects of cancer research, including the role of cancer stem cells in the initiation and propagation of tumours. Invited speakers include McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. John Dick, who will present a talk titled “Complex Mechanisms Underlie Intra-Tumoral Heterogeneity”. To learn more about this conference click here.
Announcements
Recent Publications
Retinoic acid signaling is essential for embryonic hematopoietic stem cell development. Chanda B, Ditadi A, Iscove NN, Keller G. Cell. 2013 Sep 26. [Abstract] Notch signaling induces retinal stem-like properties in perinatal neural retina progenitors and promotes symmetric divisions in adult retinal stem cells. Balenci L, van der Kooy D. Stem Cells Dev. 2013 Sep 20. [Abstract] Kinetics of laterally nanostructured vesicle formation by self-assembly of miktoarm starterpolymers in aqueous solution. Guo Y, Ma Z, Ding Z, Li RK. Langmuir. 2013 Oct 3. [Abstract] Elevated CXCL10 (IP-10) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is associated with acute cellular rejection after human lung transplantation. Husain S, Resende MR, Rajwans N, Zamel R, Pilewski JM, Crespo MM, Singer LG, McCurry KR, Kolls JK, Keshavjee S, Liles WC. Transplantation. 2013 Sep 9. Surfaceome profiling reveals regulators of neural stem cell function. Deveale B, Bausch-Fluck D, Seaberg R, Runciman S, Akbarian V, Karpowicz P, Yoon C, Song H, Leeder R, Zandstra PW, Wollscheid B, van der Kooy D. Stem Cells. 2013 Sep 10. [Abstract] Pilot study exploring lung allograft Surfactant Protein A (SP-A) expression in association with lung transplant outcome. D'Ovidio F, Kaneda H, Chaparro C, Mura M, Lederer D, Di Angelo S, Takahashi H, Gutierrez C, Hutcheon M, Singer LG, Waddell TK, Floros J, Liu M, Keshavjee S. Am J Transplant. 2013 Sep 5. [Abstract] Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein in pancreatic progenitors controls α- and β-cell fate. Cai EP, Wu X, Schroer SA, Elia AJ, Nostro MC, Zacksenhaus E, Woo M. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2013 Sep 3. [Abstract] |
The McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, led by director Dr. Gordon Keller, includes 15 scientists at the University of Toronto and five Toronto hospitals, working to advance the development of more effective treatments for conditions including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and spinal cord injury.
The Centre is located at University Health Network, MaRS Centre, Toronto Medical Discovery Tower, 101 College Street, 8th Floor, Room 701, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1L7
Email: mcewencentre@uhn.ca
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