Department of Cell & Developmental Biology & Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Regen Med. 2011 Mar;6(2):229-40. doi: 10.2217/rme.11.2.
Stem cells derived from adult tissues or from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos can self-renew in culture and have the remarkable potential to undergo lineage-specific differentiation. Extensive studies have been devoted to achieving a better understanding of the soluble factors and the mechanism(s) by which they regulate the fate decisions of these cells, but it is only recently that a critical role has been revealed for physical and mechanical factors in controlling self-renewal and lineage specification. This review summarizes selected aspects of current work on stem cell mechanics with an emphasis on the influence of matrix stiffness, surface topography, cell shape and mechanical forces on the fate determination of mesenchymal stem cells and embryonic stem cells.
从成体组织或囊胚期胚胎的内细胞团中分离得到的干细胞在培养中能够自我更新,并具有显著的向特定谱系分化的潜能。大量研究致力于更好地理解可溶性因子及其调控这些细胞命运决定的机制,但直到最近,物理和机械因素在控制自我更新和谱系特化中的关键作用才被揭示出来。本文综述了干细胞力学研究的部分进展,重点讨论了基质硬度、表面形貌、细胞形状和机械力对间充质干细胞和胚胎干细胞命运决定的影响。