Mesenchymal stem cell fate controlled by varying culture stiffness

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University (Japan) have quantitatively characterized the heterogeneity in the responsiveness of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the elastic modulus of culture substrates. The localization dynamics of YAP and RUNX2 proteins in cell nuclei and how this changed with stiffness, provides a basis to design the substrate elastic modulus to control the state of stem cells. The differentiation of MSCs can be controlled by placing them on surfaces with a different mechanical stiffness, or elastic modulus. Despite the phenomenon being robust and reproducible, MSCs are very sensitive to the exact environment into which they are placed, even...