Open AccessBiomaterials Regulate Mechanosensors YAP/TAZ in Stem Cell Growth and Differentiation
Author(s) -
Jasmeet Kaur Virdi,
Prasad Pethe
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
jo'jig gonghag gwa jaesaeng uihag/tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 2212-5469
pISSN - 1738-2696
DOI - 10.1007/s13770-020-00301-4
Subject(s) - mechanotransduction , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell niche , stem cell , hippo signaling pathway , extracellular matrix , mechanobiology , cellular differentiation , transcription factor , biology , signal transduction , chemistry , progenitor cell , biochemistry , gene
Tissue-resident stem cells are surrounded by a microenvironment known as 'stem cell niche' which is specific for each stem cell type. This niche comprises of cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors like biochemical and biophysical signals, which regulate stem cell characteristics and differentiation. Biochemical signals have been thoroughly studied however, the effect of biophysical signals on stem cell regulation is yet to be completely understood. Biomaterials have aided in addressing this issue since they can provide a defined and tuneable microenvironment resembling in vivo conditions. We review various biomaterials used in many studies which have shown a connection between biomaterial-generated mechanical signals and alteration in stem cell behaviour. Researchers probed to understand the mechanism of mechanotransduction and reported that the signals from the extracellular matrix regulate a transcription factor yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), which is a downstream-regulator of the Hippo pathway and it transduces the mechanical signals inside the nucleus. We highlight the role of the YAP/TAZ as mechanotransducers in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation in response to substrate stiffness, also the possibility of mechanobiology as the emerging field of regenerative medicines and three-dimensional tissue printing.