Effects of Diet Choice on Stem Cell Function Necessitate Clarity in Selection and Reporting.

Abstract

Augenlicht and colleagues raise concerns about the impact of diet on stem cell regulation and call for more careful reporting on dietary conditions used in mouse studies on this topic. We agree that specific conditions for animal housing and care should be reported, and we encourage this in our STAR Methods guidelines for all papers. However, moving forward we will require more detailed reporting on dietary information for mouse studies where the main scientific focus concerns stem cell functions, and especially metabolism. This will include vendor information, stock number, and feeding schedules within the STAR Methods section and Experimental Models section of the Key Resource Table. We hope this will provide further reproducibility, robustness, and clarity in the papers we publish.