Genetic lineage tracing and progenitor and multilineage fate mapping after single hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantations identify two distinct HSC-progenitor trajectories for the replenishment of platelets in mice. These pathways include a slower multilineage pathway and a faster platelet-restricted or biased pathway, initiated by distinct and non-hierarchically related HSCs.

A study describes the role of the ACTN2 enhancer in myocardial maturation, highlighting its relevance in regulating structural, functional and metabolic dynamics in the heart. These findings offer insights that may advance our understanding of cardiovascular disease.

The molecular mechanisms that regulate the transition from totipotency into divergent cellular states are unclear. Two new studies show that the transcription factors TFAP2C, NR5A2 and TEAD4 (TNT) support the formation of a transient bipotent state by activating early pluripotency and trophectoderm genes and modulating HIPPO signaling.

The anterior visceral endoderm is an important cell population that positions the head-to-tail axis of the mammalian embryo. Here, Schumacher et al. identify beta-catenin signaling as a key regulator of anterior visceral endoderm differentiation.

Carpenter and Maryanovich explore how hematopoietic homeostasis, governed by local niche and systemic mechanisms, is impacted by environmental and immune stressors like stress, sleep patterns, aging and inflammation and examine the implications for cardiovascular diseases.

Here the authors find that mutations detected in iPSCs are de novo by analyzing 135 lines. More than 10,000 point mutations were observed in some lines and, intriguingly, CpG site-specific C>Ts were frequently identified, implying a relationship between DNA demethylation and mutagenesis.

Kawaguchi et al. identify a chromatin code based on repressive histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) that serves as a segment-specific positional marker in connective tissue cells of axolotls, enabling correct patterning during limb regeneration.

Genetic lineage tracing and progenitor and multilineage fate mapping after single hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantations identify two distinct HSC-progenitor trajectories for the replenishment of platelets in mice. These pathways include a slower multilineage pathway and a faster platelet-restricted or biased pathway, initiated by distinct and non-hierarchically related HSCs.

A study describes the role of the ACTN2 enhancer in myocardial maturation, highlighting its relevance in regulating structural, functional and metabolic dynamics in the heart. These findings offer insights that may advance our understanding of cardiovascular disease.