Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-09-09Epub Date: 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102597
Daniel Dan Liu, Daniel Gao, Nicole L Womack-Gambrel, Anna E Eastman, Benjamin F Ohene-Gambill, Irving L Weissman
{"title":"Modeling glioma intratumoral heterogeneity with primary human neural stem and progenitor cells.","authors":"Daniel Dan Liu, Daniel Gao, Nicole L Womack-Gambrel, Anna E Eastman, Benjamin F Ohene-Gambill, Irving L Weissman","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102597","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gliomas are notorious for their intratumoral heterogeneity, which drives therapy resistance. Glioma tumor cells mimic a neural stem cell (NSC) hierarchy reminiscent of normal brain development. How intratumoral heterogeneity is shaped by cell-of-origin and various driver mutations is not fully understood. We develop a model of glioma initiation using neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) purified from midgestational human brain tissue, including tripotent NSCs, bipotent glial progenitor cells (GPCs), and unipotent oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). We transduced these isogenic lines with defined combinations of oncogenic drivers (TP53, NF1, CDK4, EGFR, and PDGFRA) and transplanted them into mice. We find that OPC-derived tumors harbored a higher proportion of differentiated oligodendrocyte-like cells, reminiscent of low-grade oligodendrogliomas. CDK4 drove a neuron-like subtype, while EGFR drove a GPC-like subtype. Our platform is highly adaptable and allows for modular and systematic interrogation of how cell-of-origin and specific driver mutations shape the tumor landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102597"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12447335/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-09-09Epub Date: 2025-08-21DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102604
Dimitar Dimitrov, Yi Lien, Tetsuya Hori, Yukiko Goda, Christian Rosenmund, Zacharie Taoufiq
{"title":"Proteomics-based receptor-ligand matching enhances differentiation maturity of human-stem-cell-derived neurons.","authors":"Dimitar Dimitrov, Yi Lien, Tetsuya Hori, Yukiko Goda, Christian Rosenmund, Zacharie Taoufiq","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102604","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology enables generation of various cell types, offering significant potential for regenerative medicine and personalized disease modeling. However, optimizing the functional maturity of differentiated cells is crucial for improving their reliability in research. Here, we introduce a deep-proteomics-based \"receptor-ligand matching\" (RLM) strategy to inventory surface receptors on differentiated cells and adjust the culture conditions accordingly. Focusing on an NGN2-induced neuron (iN) model, which rapidly produces glutamatergic neurons but exhibits modest synaptic activity, we identified 3,934 iN membrane proteins, including dozens of growth factor receptors and, notably, the complete GDNF receptor family (GFRA1, GFRA2, and GFRA3) previously undetected. Supplementing culture media with selected ligands enhanced neuronal health, neurite density, and synaptogenesis. Electrophysiology measurements confirmed greater functional synaptic maturity and responsiveness in optimized iNs compared to conventionally generated iNs. The RLM strategy offers a versatile approach to enhance the health and functionality of potentially any hiPSC-derived cell type.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102604"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12447311/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144969639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102633
Ethan W Hollingsworth, Jaime Imitola
{"title":"Perturbing neural stem cell fate in glioblastoma heterogeneity and beyond.","authors":"Ethan W Hollingsworth, Jaime Imitola","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102633","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma is thought to underlie its remarkable ability to recur and resist therapies. Its origins, however, remain unknown. In this issue, Liu et al. model the contributions of cell-of-origin and genetic drivers to intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma, using a perturbation paradigm with broad neurodevelopmental applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":"20 9","pages":"102633"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12447310/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145034130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102638
Fiona Doetsch, Rebecca Matsas
{"title":"The rise of neural stem cells: From development to disease.","authors":"Fiona Doetsch, Rebecca Matsas","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102638","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":"20 9","pages":"102638"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12447331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145034149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-09-03DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102637
Joonas Sokka, Ella Lapinsuo, Jouni Kvist, Sami Jalil, Masahito Yoshihara, Jere Weltner, Fredrik Lanner, Juha Kere, Diego Balboa, Timo Otonkoski, Ras Trokovic
{"title":"Trophoblast stem cell derivation from naive and primed hPSC enables ELF5 functional analysis.","authors":"Joonas Sokka, Ella Lapinsuo, Jouni Kvist, Sami Jalil, Masahito Yoshihara, Jere Weltner, Fredrik Lanner, Juha Kere, Diego Balboa, Timo Otonkoski, Ras Trokovic","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102637","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102637","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are valuable tools for studying placental biology, yet their differentiation into bona fide trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) remains challenging. In this study, we established and thoroughly compared naive and primed-derived TSC-like cells with primary human TSCs derived from pre-implantation blastocyst and first-trimester placenta. Comprehensive analyses confirmed expression of trophoblast lineage-specific genes and typical placental features. Detailed transcriptional analyses revealed that naive-derived TSC-like cells resembled embryo and placenta-derived cell lines and differentiated faster and more directly into TSC than primed-derived cells. We used these TSC-like models to study the role of ELF5, a transcription factor indispensable for maintenance and differentiation in mouse TSC. In contrast to the mouse, knockout and knockdown experiments revealed that ELF5 is dispensable for human TSC-like cells self-renewal and differentiation. Our study provides valuable transcriptional data and highlights the utility of hPSC-derived TSC-like cells for modeling the placenta and studying gene function.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102637"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145055909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102631
Haruki Odaka, Hiroaki Tateno
{"title":"Single-cell glycome and transcriptome profiling uncovers the glycan signature of each cell subpopulation of human iPSC-derived neurons.","authors":"Haruki Odaka, Hiroaki Tateno","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102631","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102631","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons are often heterogeneous, posing challenges for disease modeling and cell therapy. We previously developed single-cell glycan and RNA sequencing (scGR-seq) to analyze the glycome and transcriptome simultaneously. Here, we applied scGR-seq to examine heterogeneous populations of human iPSC-derived neurons. We identified four subpopulations: mature neurons, immature neurons, undifferentiated neural progenitor cells (undiffNPCs), and mesenchymal cells (MCs). Lectin-binding patterns indicated high α1,3-fucose expression in undiffNPCs. MCs exhibited strong binding of a poly-LacNAc-recognizing lectin (rLSLN) and high expression of B3GNT2, a poly-LacNAc synthetic enzyme. Pseudotime analysis revealed that a subpopulation of NPCs acquired mesenchymal features and differentiated into MCs. Immunocytochemistry confirmed the specific detection of undiffNPCs and MCs using anti-Lewis X (α1,3-fucosylated glycan) antibodies and rLSLN. Beyond identifying cell heterogeneity, scGR-seq enables the discovery of glycan markers and detection probes for iPSC-derived cells, aiding in their further cell processing and manipulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102631"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145006583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-08-19DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102603
Yehuda Wexler, Harel Grinstein, Irit Huber, Shany Glatstein, Matteo Ghiringhelli, Oded Edri, Michal Landesberg, Daniel Shiff, Gil Arbel, Idan Rosh, Ashwani Choudhary, Shani Stern, Lior Gepstein
{"title":"XPRESSO: Rapid genetic engineering of human pluripotent stem cells for durable overexpression using a modular anti-silencing vector.","authors":"Yehuda Wexler, Harel Grinstein, Irit Huber, Shany Glatstein, Matteo Ghiringhelli, Oded Edri, Michal Landesberg, Daniel Shiff, Gil Arbel, Idan Rosh, Ashwani Choudhary, Shani Stern, Lior Gepstein","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102603","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102603","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ectopic expression of proteins in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is highly desirable as a research tool and important for clinical translation. However, genetically engineering hPSCs for long-term overexpression of proteins remains inefficient, labor-intensive, and plagued by epigenetic silencing, necessitating dedication of significant resources, and entailing laborious workflows. To address these limitations, we report the development of XPRESSO (expedited persistent and robust engineering of stem cells with sleeping beauty for overexpression), a modular \"anti-silencing\" transposon vector, which we have combined with a highly efficient and accessible methodology for the rapid generation of genetically modified hPSC lines in a gene-independent manner. Using this method, we successfully generated dozens of stable hPSC lines with robust and continuous functional expression of optogenetic proteins, Cas9, shRNA, and a calcium indicator in both undifferentiated and differentiated (cardiomyocyte and neuronal) cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102603"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144969687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-08-12Epub Date: 2025-07-03DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102571
Yang Jo Chung, Ryan Bertoli, Dengchao Cao, Robert L Walker, Yuelin Jack Zhu, Paul Meltzer, Peter D Aplan
{"title":"Disruption of normal stem cell function and transmission of myelodysplastic syndrome by self-renewal of committed myeloid lineage cells.","authors":"Yang Jo Chung, Ryan Bertoli, Dengchao Cao, Robert L Walker, Yuelin Jack Zhu, Paul Meltzer, Peter D Aplan","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102571","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ineffective hematopoiesis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) suggests that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are defective. Here, we demonstrate that NUP98::HOXD13 (NHD13) MDS mice have significantly decreased functional HSPCs. Moreover, in contrast to wild-type (WT) bone marrow (BM), lineage-positive (Lin<sup>+</sup>) BM cells from NHD13 mice have self-renewal potential. Specific subsets of NHD13 Lin<sup>+</sup> cells that express B220 and Kit antigens were able to self-renew and generate MDS in WT recipients. Although this unique B220<sup>+</sup>Kit<sup>+</sup> phenotype could be found in WT as well as NHD13 BM, the population was markedly increased in NHD13 BM. Further characterization using Mac1 and Gr1 markers revealed that both Mac1<sup>+</sup>Gr1<sup>+</sup>B220<sup>+</sup>Kit<sup>+</sup> and Mac1<sup>-</sup>Gr1<sup>-</sup> B220<sup>+</sup>Kit<sup>+</sup> populations showed self-renewal and led to an MDS phenotype in WT recipients. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that as normal hematopoiesis derived from typical HSPCs decreases in NHD13 mice, committed hematopoietic progenitor cells proliferate, self-renew, and initiate MDS.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102571"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12365822/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-08-12Epub Date: 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102596
Ali Abdelfattah, Ahmad Habib, Leigh-Anne Thomas, Juan Bautista Menendez-Gonzalez, Alhomidi Almotiri, Hind Alqahtani, Hannah Lawson, Sarab Taha, Millie Steadman, Radhika Athalye, Alex Gibbs, Hamed Alzahrani, Ali Alshahrani, Alice Cato, Peter Giles, Alex Tonks, Ashleigh S Boyd, Kamil R Kranc, Neil P Rodrigues
{"title":"Impaired DNA damage responses and inflammatory signaling underpin hematopoietic stem cell defects in Gata2 haploinsufficiency.","authors":"Ali Abdelfattah, Ahmad Habib, Leigh-Anne Thomas, Juan Bautista Menendez-Gonzalez, Alhomidi Almotiri, Hind Alqahtani, Hannah Lawson, Sarab Taha, Millie Steadman, Radhika Athalye, Alex Gibbs, Hamed Alzahrani, Ali Alshahrani, Alice Cato, Peter Giles, Alex Tonks, Ashleigh S Boyd, Kamil R Kranc, Neil P Rodrigues","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102596","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clinical GATA2 haploinsufficiency results in immunodeficiency that evolves to leukemia. How GATA2 haploinsufficiency disrupts the functionality of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSCs/HSPCs) to facilitate pre-leukemia development is poorly defined. Using a hematopoietic-specific conditional mouse model of Gata2 haploinsufficiency, we identified pervasive defects in HSPC differentiation in young adult Gata2 haploinsufficient mice and perturbed HSC self-renewal following transplantation. These alterations aligned with deregulated global DNA damage responses and inflammatory cell signaling from Gata2 haploinsufficient HSCs. We also discovered genetic interplay between Gata2 and Asxl1, a secondary mutation leading to leukemia in GATA2 deficiency syndromes. HSCs from young adult compound Gata2/Asxl1 haploinsufficient mice were hyperproliferative, functionally compromised after transplantation, and displayed a broad pre-leukemia transcriptomic program. Thus, Gata2 haploinsufficiency triggers HSC genomic instability. Our data further suggest that secondary mutations like ASXL1 exploit this impaired HSC genomic integrity to nurture a pre-leukemic state in GATA2 haploinsufficiency syndromes.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102596"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12365849/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stem Cell ReportsPub Date : 2025-08-12Epub Date: 2025-07-03DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102572
Sophie E Givens, Abygail A Andebrhan, Ruchen Wang, Xiangzhen Kong, Taylor M Rothermel, Sanaz Hosseini, An Xie, Mohammad Shameem, Andrea A Torniainen, Somayeh Ebrahimi-Barough, Samuel F Boland, Maya Johnson, Natalia Calixto Mancipe, Bhairab N Singh, Samuel Dudley, Patrick W Alford, Elena G Tolkacheva, Jop H van Berlo, Brenda M Ogle
{"title":"Developmental cues from epicardial cells simultaneously promote cardiomyocyte proliferation and electrochemical maturation.","authors":"Sophie E Givens, Abygail A Andebrhan, Ruchen Wang, Xiangzhen Kong, Taylor M Rothermel, Sanaz Hosseini, An Xie, Mohammad Shameem, Andrea A Torniainen, Somayeh Ebrahimi-Barough, Samuel F Boland, Maya Johnson, Natalia Calixto Mancipe, Bhairab N Singh, Samuel Dudley, Patrick W Alford, Elena G Tolkacheva, Jop H van Berlo, Brenda M Ogle","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102572","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accumulating evidence indicates that maturation limits cardiomyocyte proliferation. We expand on that theory by co-culturing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-cardiomyocytes (CM) with epicardial cells (EPCs) and epicardial-derived cells in both 2D co-cultures and 3D engineered heart tissues (EHTs). In 2D co-cultures, the percentage of proliferating CM increased in parallel with stark electrophysiologic improvements. Single-cell transcriptomics revealed a significant shift in the bulk CM population of the epicardial-CM co-cultures as characterized by more fetal-like myofilament isoforms but with enhanced pathways associated with electrochemical maturation. The 3D-EHTs containing EPCs showed more limited proliferation but a similar improvement in CM electrophysiologic function. Next, epicardial-derived fibroblasts (EPD-FBs) were added to the EHTs containing EPCs, and we observed significant myofilament maturation and increased force generation. Our results suggest that some aspects of CM maturation (i.e., electrochemical) can occur when proliferation rates are relatively high, and that sarcomere-associated mechanical maturation occurs at later developmental stages when proliferation has largely ceased.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"102572"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12365841/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}