Abstract
The mechanotransduction is the process by which cells sense mechanical stimuli such as elasticity, viscosity, and nanotopography of extracellular matrix and translate them into biochemical signals. The mechanotransduction regulates several aspects of the cell behavior, including migration, proliferation, and differentiation in a time-dependent manner. Several reports have indicated that cell behavior and fate are not transmitted by a single signal, but rather by an intricate network of many signals operating on different length and timescales that determine cell fate. Since cell biology and biomaterial technology are fundamentals in cell-based regenerative therapies, comprehending the interaction between cells and biomaterials may allow the design of new biomaterials for clinical therapeutic applications in tissue regeneration. In this work, we present the most relevant mechanism by which the biomechanical properties of extracellular matrix (ECM) influence cell reprogramming, with particular attention on the new technologies and materials engineering, in which are taken into account not only the biochemical and biophysical signals patterns but also the factor time.
Highlights
The extracellular matrix (ECM) exerts a key role in regulating the stem cell fate decisions both during development and in somatic stem cell niche
We focus our attention onnew the impact bio-mechanical properties, cell behavior, cell reprogramming and on the strategyoffor tissue engineering and stem cell-based such as regenerative stiffness, on therapies
focal adhesion zones (FAZs) sense the mechanical properties of ECM and traduces into the intracellular actin cytoskeleton remodeling producing forces able to, activate multiple mechanosensitive signaling pathways inducing various mechanosensitive transcription factors such as transcriptional coregulators yes-associated protein 1 (YAP), transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ), and myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) [28,29]; or to communicate directly the forces from focal adhesion to the nuclear membrane modulating nuclear events, such as transcription
Summary
The ECM exerts a key role in regulating the stem cell fate decisions both during development and in somatic stem cell niche. But not on a soft one, cells may generate a large force at the focal adhesion, exerting powerful effects on the lineage specification and commitment, i.e., elastic environments favor differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into adipocytes, while on stiffer substrates osteogenesis is promoted [2]. The understanding the crosstalk between stem cell and ECM could help in review, regenerative approaches andofinnovative biological substrate for tissue engineering In this designing stem cell-based regenerative approaches and innovative biological substrate for tissue we focus our attention on the impact of ECM bio-mechanical properties, such as stiffness, on stem engineering. But not on a soft one, cells may generate a large force at the focal adhesion, exerting powerful effects on the lineage specification and commitment, i.e., elastic environments favor differentiation of MSC into adipocytes, while on stiffer substrates osteogenesis is promoted [2]
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