Daniel R. Fuentes

TL;DR: The data demonstrate that non-neural human somatic cells, as well as pluripotent stem cells, can be converted directly into neurons by lineage-determining transcription factors.

TL;DR: A precise match between pioneer factors and the chromatin context at key target genes is determinative for transdifferentiation to neurons and likely other cell types.

TL;DR: By studying the reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts to neurons, it is found that the pan neuron-specific transcription factor Myt1-like (Myt1l) exerts its pro-neuronal function by direct repression of many different somatic lineage programs except the neuronal program.

TL;DR: CARGO is employed, a recent method for CRISPR gRNA multiplexing, to facilitate targeting of LTR5HS, an ape-specific class of HERVK (HML-2) LTRs that is active during early development and present in ~700 copies throughout the human genome.

TL;DR: In this paper, a knock-in mutant mouse strain that expressed a stabilized and transcriptionally dead variant of the tumour-suppressor protein p53 (p53(25,26,53,54)), along with a wild-type allele of p53, was found to be associated with a host of phenotypes that are characteristic of CHARGE syndrome, including coloboma, inner and outer ear malformations, heart outflow tract defects and craniofacial defects.