Project description:Somatic cells can be chemically reprogrammed into a pluripotent stem cell (CiPSC) state, mediated by an extraembryonic endoderm- (XEN-) like state. We found that the chemical cocktail applied in CiPSC generation initially activated a plastic state in mouse fibroblasts before transitioning into XEN-like cells. The plastic state was characterized by broadly activated expression of development-associated transcription factors (TFs), such as Sox17, Ascl1, Tbx3, and Nkx6-1, with a more accessible chromatin state indicating an enhanced capability of cell fate conversion. Intriguingly, introducing such a plastic state remarkably improved the efficiency of chemical reprogramming from fibroblasts to functional neuron-like cells with electrophysiological activity or beating skeletal muscles. Furthermore, the generation of chemically induced neuron-like cells or skeletal muscles from mouse fibroblasts was independent of the intermediate XEN-like state or the pluripotency state. In summary, our findings revealed a plastic chemically activated multi-lineage priming (CaMP) state at the onset of chemical reprogramming. This state enhanced the cells’ potential to adapt to other cell fates. It provides a general approach to empowering chemical reprogramming methods to obtain functional cell types bypassing inducing pluripotent stem cells.
Project description:Although the biodegradation of biodegradable plastics in soil and compost is well-studied, there is little knowledge on the metabolic mechanisms of synthetic polymers degradation by marine microorganisms. Here, we present a multiomics study to elucidate the biodegradation mechanism of a commercial aromatic-aliphatic copolyester film by a marine microbial enrichment culture. The plastic film and each monomer can be used as sole carbon source. Our analysis showed that the consortium synergistically degrades the polymer, different degradation steps being performed by different members of the community. Analysis of gene expression and translation profiles revealed that the relevant degradation processes in the marine consortium are closely related to poly(ethylene terephthalate) biodegradation from terrestrial microbes. Although there are multiple genes and organisms with the potential to perform a degradation step, only a few of these are active during biodegradation. Our results elucidate the potential of marine microorganisms to mineralize biodegradable plastic polymers and describe the mechanisms of labor division within the community to get maximum energetic yield from a complex synthetic substrate.
2020-09-25 | PXD018391 | Pride
Project description:Plastic associated bacteria
| PRJNA601895 | ENA
Project description:Microorganisms with biotechnological potential.