Open AccessCurved microstructures promote osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells via the RhoA/ ROCK pathway
Author(s) -
Zhang Qi,
Lin Shiyu,
Zhang Tao,
Tian Taoran,
Ma Quanquan,
Xie Xueping,
Xue Changyue,
Lin Yunfeng,
Zhu Bofeng,
Cai Xiaoxiao
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
cell proliferation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.647
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-2184
pISSN - 0960-7722
DOI - 10.1111/cpr.12356
Subject(s) - rhoa , microbiology and biotechnology , mesenchymal stem cell , chemistry , curvature , osteoblast , biology , signal transduction , in vitro , geometry , biochemistry , mathematics
Objectives Cells in the osteon reside in a curved space, accordingly, the curvature of the microenvironment is an important geometric feature in bone formation. However, it is not clear how curved microstructures affect cellular behaviour in bone tissue. Materials and methods Rat primary bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ( BMSC s) on wavy microgrooves were exposed to PDMS substrates with various curvatures to investigate alterations in cellular morphology and osteogenic differentiation. Additionally, the expression levels of RhoA and its effectors were examined by immunofluorescence and quantitative PCR to determine the mechanisms of curvature‐dependent osteogenic differentiation. Results Wavy microgrooves caused dramatic nuclear distortion and cytoskeletal remodelling. We detected a noticeable increase in the expression of osteogenic‐related genes in BMSC s in wavy microgroove groups, and the maximum expression was observed in the high curvature group. Moreover, immunofluorescent staining and quantitative RT ‐ PCR results for RhoA and its effectors showed that the RhoA/ ROCK signalling pathway is associated with curvature‐dependent osteogenic differentiation. Conclusions Our results illustrated that curved microstructures could promote BMSC differentiation to the osteogenic lineage, and the osteogenic effects of higher curvature are more obvious. Wavy microstructures could also influence the RhoA/ ROCK pathway. Accordingly, curved microstructures may be useful in bone tissue engineering.