Comparison of American mink embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cell transcriptomes

BACKGROUND: Recently fibroblasts of many mammalian species have been reprogrammed to pluripotent state using overexpression of several transcription factors. This technology allows production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with properties similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells. The completeness of reprogramming process is well studied in such species as mouse and human but there is not enough data on other species. We produced American mink (Neovison vison) ES and iPS cells and compared these cells using transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: We report the generation of 10 mink ES and 22 iPS cell lines. The majority of the analyzed cell lines had normal diploid chromosome number. The only ES cell line with XX chromosome set had both X-chromosomes in active state that is characteristic of pluripotent cells. The pluripotency of ES and iPS cell lines was confirmed by formation of teratomas with cell types representing all three germ layers. Transcriptome analysis of mink embryonic fibroblasts (EF), two ES and two iPS cell lines allowed us to identify 11831 assembled contigs which were annotated. These led to a number of 6891 unique genes. Of these 3201 were differentially expressed between mink EF and ES cells. We analyzed expression levels of these genes in iPS cell lines. This allowed us to show that 80% of genes were correctly reprogrammed in iPS cells, whereas approximately 6% had an intermediate expression pattern, about 7% were not reprogrammed and about 5% had a "novel" expression pattern. We observed expression of pluripotency marker genes such as Oct4, Sox2 and Rex1 in ES and iPS cell lines with notable exception of Nanog. CONCLUSIONS: We had produced and characterized American mink ES and iPS cells. These cells were pluripotent by a number of criteria and iPS cells exhibited effective reprogramming. Interestingly, we had showed lack of Nanog expression and consider it as a species-specific feature

The ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) proportional drift tube: design and performance

A straw proportional counter is the basic element of the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT). Its detailed properties as well as the main properties of a few TRT operating gas mixtures are described. Particular attention is paid to straw tube performance in high radiation conditions and to its operational stability

Ultrastructural Abnormalities in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Stem Cells and Neurons of Two Cohen Syndrome Patients

Cohen syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by VPS13B (COH1) gene mutations. This syndrome is significantly underdiagnosed and is characterized by intellectual disability, microcephaly, autistic symptoms, hypotension, myopia, retinal dystrophy, neutropenia, and obesity. VPS13B regulates intracellular membrane transport and supports the Golgi apparatus structure, which is critical for neuron formation. We generated induced pluripotent stem cells from two patients with pronounced manifestations of Cohen syndrome and differentiated them into neural stem cells and neurons. Using transmission electron microscopy, we documented multiple new ultrastructural changes associated with Cohen syndrome in the neuronal cells. We discovered considerable disturbances in the structure of some organelles: Golgi apparatus fragmentation and swelling, endoplasmic reticulum structural reorganization, mitochondrial defects, and the accumulation of large autophagosomes with undigested contents. These abnormalities underline the ultrastructural similarity of Cohen syndrome to many neurodegenerative diseases. The cell models that we developed based on patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells can serve to uncover not only neurodegenerative processes, but the causes of intellectual disability in general

The ATLAS TRT barrel detector

The ATLAS TRT barrel is a tracking drift chamber using 52,544 individual tubular drift tubes. It is one part of the ATLAS Inner Detector, which consists of three sub-systems: the pixel detector spanning the radius range 4 to 20 cm, the semiconductor tracker (SCT) from 30 to 52 cm, and the transition radiation tracker ( TRT) from 56 to 108 cm. The TRT barrel covers the central pseudo-rapidity region |eta| < 1, while the TRT endcaps cover the forward and backward eta regions. These TRT systems provide a combination of continuous tracking with many measurements in individual drift tubes ( or straws) and of electron identification based on transition radiation from fibers or foils interleaved between the straws themselves. This paper describes the recently-completed construction of the TRT Barrel detector, including the quality control procedures used in the fabrication of the detector

The ATLAS TRT end-cap detectors

The ATLAS TRT end-cap is a tracking drift chamber using 245,760 individual tubular drift tubes. It is a part of the TRT tracker which consist of the barrel and two end-caps. The TRT end-caps cover the forward and backward pseudo-rapidity region 1.0 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.0, while the TRT barrel central eta region vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1.0. The TRT system provides a combination of continuous tracking with many measurements in individual drift tubes ( or straws) and of electron identification based on transition radiation from fibers or foils interleaved between the straws themselves. Along with other two sub-systems, namely the Pixel detector and Semi Conductor Tracker (SCT), the TRT constitutes the ATLAS Inner Detector. This paper describes the recently completed and installed TRT end-cap detectors, their design, assembly, integration and the acceptance tests applied during the construction