Featured
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News & Views |
Mastering their own fates through the matrix
With their ability to give rise to many different cell types, stem cells have long been a target of scientists who seek to achieve control over their differentiation. New evidence suggests that stem cells influence their own fates through protein deposition and physical remodelling of their microenvironment.
- Eric L. Qiao
- , Sanjay Kumar
- & David V. Schaffer
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News & Views |
A pulpy story
Over-expression of a transcriptional factor, Alx3, has been shown to revitalize the regenerative capacity of adult progenitor cells to promote enhanced stromal vascularization and formation of parenchymal dental pulp tissue in vivo.
- Sarah E. Millar
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Article |
Parenchymal and stromal tissue regeneration of tooth organ by pivotal signals reinstated in decellularized matrix
The Alx3 transcription factor, expressed in prenatal tooth development, is shown to revitalize adult progenitor cells in decellularized scaffolds, leading to enhanced parenchymal dental pulp and vascularized stroma regeneration in vivo.
- Ling He
- , Jian Zhou
- & Jeremy Mao
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Letter |
Cell-geometry-dependent changes in plasma membrane order direct stem cell signalling and fate
The mechanism by which cell geometry regulates cell signalling is reported to be modulated by lipid rafts within the plasma membrane, which are now shown to be responsible for geometry-dependent mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.
- Thomas C. von Erlach
- , Sergio Bertazzo
- & Molly M. Stevens
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Article |
N-cadherin adhesive interactions modulate matrix mechanosensing and fate commitment of mesenchymal stem cells
N-cadherin can alter how the stiffening extracellular microenvironment is interpreted by mesenchymal stem cells, leading to subsequent changes in downstream cell proliferation and differentiation.
- Brian D. Cosgrove
- , Keeley L. Mui
- & Robert L. Mauck
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News & Views |
Sticky mechanical memory
Physical cues from the extracellular environment influence the lineage commitment of stem cells. Now, experiments on human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on photodegradable hydrogels show that the cells' fate can also be determined by past physical environments.
- Jeroen Eyckmans
- & Christopher S. Chen
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Article |
Nanoscale surfaces for the long-term maintenance of mesenchymal stem cell phenotype and multipotency
On standard tissue culture platforms, mesenchymal stem cells tend to spontaneously differentiate with the loss of multi-lineage potential. Now, a robust and reproducible nanotopographical platform has been shown to maintain stem cell phenotype and promote stem cell growth over several months whilst implicating mechanisms for the observed stem cell behaviour
- Rebecca J. McMurray
- , Nikolaj Gadegaard
- & Matthew J. Dalby
Wnt-modified materials mediate asymmetric stem cell division to direct human osteogenic tissue formation for bone repair