In order to apply human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to regenerative medicine, the cells should be produced under restricted conditions conforming to GMP guidelines. Since the conventional culture system has some issues that need to be addressed to achieve this goal, we developed a novel culture system. We found that recombinant laminin-511 E8 fragments are useful matrices for maintaining hESCs and hiPSCs when used in combination with a completely xeno-free (Xf) medium, StemFit™. Using this system, hESCs and hiPSCs can be easily and stably passaged by dissociating the cells into single cells for long periods, without any karyotype abnormalities. Human iPSCs could be generated under feeder-free (Ff) and Xf culture systems from human primary fibroblasts and blood cells, and they possessed differentiation abilities. These results indicate that hiPSCs can be generated and maintained under this novel Ff and Xf culture system.

Variation in the differentiation capacity of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to specific lineages is a significant concern for their use in clinical applications and disease modeling. To identify factors that affect differentiation capacity, we performed integration analyses between hematopoietic differentiation performance and molecular signatures such as gene expression, DNA methylation, and chromatin status, using 35 human iPSC lines and four ESC lines. Our analyses revealed that hematopoietic commitment of PSCs to hematopoietic precursors correlates with IGF2 expression level, which in turn depends on signaling-dependent chromatin accessibility at mesendodermal genes. Maturation capacity for conversion of PSC-derived hematopoietic precursors to mature blood associates with the amount and pattern of DNA methylation acquired during reprogramming. Our study therefore provides insight into the molecular features that determine the differential capacities seen among human iPSC lines and, through the predictive potential of this information, highlights a way to select optimal iPSCs for clinical applications.

Our results strongly confirm that ITPR1 is the causative gene for SCA15 and suggest that we need to investigate the point mutation in ITPR1 in the patients with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia and tremor.

Gilbert's syndrome, which is characterized by chronic, non-hemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, is caused by a reduction in the activity of hepatic bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT). Here, we report that all examined patients with this disease carried missense mutations in the gene for UGT and that the mutations were heterozygous. An expression study in COS cells in vitro, using the expression vector pcDL that carried the mutated gene for UGT from a patient, indicated that approximately 14% of the normal UGT activity was expressed. However, the UGT activity of the patient with Gilbert's syndrome was unexpectedly < 50% of the normal, perhaps as the result of the dominant negative nature of the mutation.

MET revealed an equal or greater number of lesions in PCM than FDG. MET may be especially useful when negative or inconclusive findings are obtained by FDG despite highly suspicious indications of recurrence.