Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Dec;18(6):436-44.
doi: 10.1089/ten.TEB.2012.0014. Epub 2012 Aug 6.

Cytoskeletal and focal adhesion influences on mesenchymal stem cell shape, mechanical properties, and differentiation down osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic pathways

Pattie S Mathieu  1 , Elizabeth G Loboa
Affiliations
Review

Cytoskeletal and focal adhesion influences on mesenchymal stem cell shape, mechanical properties, and differentiation down osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic pathways

Pattie S Mathieu et al. Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great potential for regenerative medicine and tissue-engineering applications. They have multipotent differentiation capabilities and have been shown to differentiate down various lineages, including osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, myocytes, and possibly neurons. The majority of approaches to control the MSC fate have been via the use of chemical factors in the form of growth factors within the culture medium. More recently, it has been understood that mechanical forces play a significant role in regulating MSC fate. We and others have shown that mechanical stimuli can control MSC lineage specification. The cytoskeleton is known to play a large role in mechanotransduction, and a growing number of studies are showing that it can also contribute to MSC differentiation. This review analyzes the significant contribution of actin and integrin distribution, and the smaller role of microtubules, in regulating MSC fate. Osteogenic differentiation is more prevalent in MSCs with a stiff, spread actin cytoskeleton and greater numbers of focal adhesions. Both adipogenic differentiation and chondrogenic differentiation are encouraged when MSCs have a spherical morphology associated with a dispersed actin cytoskeleton with few focal adhesions. Different mechanical stimuli can be implemented to alter these cytoskeletal patterns and encourage MSC differentiation to the desired lineage.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
(A) Flower shape used in Kilian et al. (B) Star shape used in Kilian et al. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) confined to the flower shape showed increased adipogenesis. MSC confined to the star shape showed increased osteogenesis. Adapted from Kilian et al.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Mechanical interventions have been shown to alter the cytoskeletal arrangement of MSC. This knowledge can be used to determine which mechanical interventions to use to encourage various types of differentiation. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/teb
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Narita Y. Yamawaki A. Kagami H. Ueda M. Ueda Y. Effects of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and ascorbic acid on differentiation of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into smooth muscle cell lineage. Cell Tissue Res. 2008;333:449. - PubMed
    1. Kim M.R. Jeon E.S. Kim M.Y. Lee J.S. Kim J.H. Thromboxane A2 induces differentiation of human mensenchymal stem cells to smooth muscle-like cells. Stem Cells. 2009;27:191. - PubMed
    1. Delorme B. Ringe J. Pontikoglou C. Gaillard J. Langornné A. Sensebé L. Noël D. Jorgensen C. Häupi T. Charbord P. Specific lineage-priming of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells provides the molecular framework for their plasticity. Stem Cells. 2009;27:1142. - PubMed
    1. Prockop D.J. Marrow stromal cells as stem cells for nonhematopoietic tissues. Science. 1997;276:71. - PubMed
    1. Wislet-Gendebien S. Hans G. Leprince P. Rigo J.-M. Moonen G. Rogister B. Plasticity of cultured mesenchymal stem cells: switch from nestin-positive to excitable neuron-like phenotype. Stem Cells. 2005;23:392. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources