Super-resolution imaging offers fast way to discern fate of stem cells
To identify these signals of a stem cell's fate, an interdisciplinary team from multiple universities collaborated to use super-resolution microscopy to analyze epigenetic modifications. Epigenetic modifications change how DNA is wrapped up within the nucleus, allowing different genes to become accessible to the gene expression machinery within the cell. While the complete process remains somewhat mysterious, scientists have identified some epigenetic markings for pending gene expression. Using the new method, described in the Jan. 4, 2017, Scientific Reports , the team was able to determine a cell's fate days before other techniques. "This group honed and combined several techniques to deliver a powerful new tool for assessing stem cell fate." says Rosemarie Hunziker, Ph.D., director of the program in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of NIH. "Early predictions of g...