Can shear stress direct stem cell fate?

Contrasting effects of vasculogenic induction upon biaxial bioreactor stimulation of mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells cocultures in three-dimensional scaffolds under in vitro and in vivo paradigms for vascularized bone tissue engineering

Clinical translation of bone tissue engineering approaches for fracture repair has been hampered by inadequate vascularization required for maintaining cell survival, skeletal regeneration, and remodeling. The potential of vasculature formation within tissue-engineered grafts depends on various factors, including an appropriate choice of scaffold and its microarchitectural design for the support of tissue ingrowth and vessel infiltration, vasculogenic potential of cell types and mechanostimulation on cells to enhance cytokine expression. Here, we demonstrated the effect of biomechanical stimulation on vasculogenic and bone-forming capacity of umbilical-cord-blood endothelial progenitor cells (UCB-EPC) and human fetal bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hfMSC) seeded within macroporous scaffolds and cocultured dynamically in a biaxial bioreactor. Dynamically cultured EPC/hfMSC constructs generated greater mineralization and calcium deposition consistently over 14 days of culture (1.7-fold on day 14; p<0.05). However, in vitro vessel formation was not observed as compared to an extensive EPC-vessel network formed under static culture on day 7. Subsequent subcutaneous implantations in NOD/SCID mice showed 1.4-fold higher human:mouse cell chimerism (p<0.001), with a more even cellular distribution throughout the dynamically cultured scaffolds. In addition, there was earlier evidence of vessel infiltration into the scaffold and a trend toward increased ectopic bone formation, suggesting improved efficacy and cellular survival through early vascularization upon biomechanical stimulation. The integrative use of bioreactor culture systems with macroporous scaffolds and cocultured osteogenic and vasculogenic cells promotes maturation of EPC/hfMSC-scaffold grafts necessary for vascularized bone tissue engineering applications.

Real-time maps of fluid flow fields in porous biomaterials

Mechanical forces such as fluid shear have been shown to enhance cell growth and differentiation, but knowledge of their mechanistic effect on cells is limited because the local flow patterns and associated metrics are not precisely known. Here we present real-time, non-invasive measures of local hydrodynamics in 3D biomaterials based on nuclear magnetic resonance. Microflow maps were further used to derive pressure, shear and fluid permeability fields. Finally, remodeling of collagen gels in response to precise fluid flow parameters was correlated with structural changes. It is anticipated that accurate flow maps within 3D matrices will be a critical step towards understanding cell behavior in response to controlled flow dynamics.

Microfabricated magnetic structures for future medicine: from sensors to cell actuators

In this review, we discuss the prospective medical application of magnetic carriers microfabricated by top-down techniques. Physical methods allow the fabrication of a variety of magnetic structures with tightly controlled magnetic properties and geometry, which makes them very attractive for a cost-efficient mass-production in the fast growing field of nanomedicine. Stand-alone fabricated particles along with integrated devices combining lithographically defined magnetic structures and synthesized magnetic tags will be considered. Applications of microfabricated multifunctional magnetic structures for future medicinal purposes range from ultrasensitive in vitro diagnostic bioassays, DNA sequencing and microfluidic cell sorting to magnetomechanical actuation, cargo delivery, contrast enhancement and heating therapy.

Mapping the mechanome of live stem cells using a novel method to measure local strain fields in situ at the fluid-cell interface

During mesenchymal condensation, the initial step of skeletogenesis, transduction of minute mechanical forces to the nucleus is associated with up or down-regulation of genes, ultimately resulting in formation of the skeletal template and appropriate cell lineage commitment. The summation of these biophysical cues affects the cell's shape and fate. Here, we predict and measure surface strain, in live stem cells, in response to controlled delivery of stresses, providing a platform to direct short-term structure - function relationships and long-term fate decisions. We measure local strains on stem cell surfaces using fluorescent microbeads coated with Concanavalin A. During delivery of controlled mechanical stresses, 4-Dimensional (x,y,z,t) displacements of the bound beads are measured as surface strains using confocal microscopy and image reconstruction. Similarly, micro-particle image velocimetry (μ-piv) is used to track flow fields with fluorescent microspheres. The measured flow velocity gradient is used to calculate stress imparted by fluid drag at the surface of the cell. We compare strain measured on cell surfaces with those predicted computationally using parametric estimates of the cell's elastic and shear modulus. Finally, cross-correlating stress - strain data to measures of gene transcription marking lineage commitment enables us to create stress - strain - fate maps, for live stem cells in situ. The studies show significant correlations between live stem cell stress - strain relationships and lineage commitment. The method presented here provides a novel means to probe the live stem cell's mechanome, enabling mechanistic studies of the role of mechanics in lineage commitment as it unfolds.

Control of stem cell fate and function by engineering physical microenvironments

The phenotypic expression and function of stem cells are regulated by their integrated response to variable microenvironmental cues, including growth factors and cytokines, matrix-mediated signals, and cell–cell interactions. Recently, growing evidence suggests that matrix-mediated signals include mechanical stimuli such as strain, shear stress, substrate rigidity and topography, and these stimuli have a more profound impact on stem cell phenotypes than had previously been recognized, e.g. self-renewal and differentiation through the control of gene transcription and signaling pathways. Using a variety of cell culture models enabled by micro and nanoscale technologies, we are beginning to systematically and quantitatively investigate the integrated response of cells to combinations of relevant mechanobiological stimuli. This paper reviews recent advances in engineering physical stimuli for stem cell mechanobiology and discusses how micro- and nanoscale engineered platforms can be used to control stem cell niche environments and regulate stem cell fate and function.

Fluid shear stress induces differentiation of circulating phenotype endothelial progenitor cells

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are mobilized from bone marrow to peripheral blood, and contribute to angiogenesis in tissue. In the process, EPCs are exposed to shear stress generated by blood flow and tissue fluid flow. Our previous study showed that shear stress induces differentiation of mature EPCs in adhesive phenotype into mature endothelial cells and, moreover, arterial endothelial cells. In this study we investigated whether immature EPCs in a circulating phenotype differentiate into mature EPCs in response to shear stress. When floating-circulating phenotype EPCs derived from ex vivo expanded human cord blood were exposed to controlled levels of shear stress in a flow-loading device, the bioactivities of adhesion, migration, proliferation, antiapoptosis, tube formation, and differentiated type of EPC colony formation increased. The surface protein expression rate of the endothelial markers VEGF receptor 1 (VEGF-R1) and -2 (VEGF-R2), VE-cadherin, Tie2, VCAM1, integrin α(v)/β(3), and E-selectin increased in shear-stressed EPCs. The VEGF-R1, VEGF-R2, VE-cadherin, and Tie2 protein increases were dependent on the magnitude of shear stress. The mRNA levels of VEGF-R1, VEGF-R2, VE-cadherin, Tie2, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and VEGF increased in shear-stressed EPCs. Inhibitor analysis showed that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal transduction pathway is a potent activator of adhesion, proliferation, tube formation, and differentiation in response to shear stress. Western blot analysis revealed that shear stress activated the VEGF-R2 phosphorylation in a ligand-independent manner. These results indicate that shear stress increases differentiation, adhesion, migration, proliferation, antiapoptosis, and vasculogenesis of circulating phenotype EPCs by activation of VEGF-R2 and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal transduction pathway.

Tubular perfusion system culture of human mesenchymal stem cells on poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds produced using a supercritical carbon dioxide-assisted process

In vitro human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) proliferation and differentiation is dependent on scaffold design parameters and specific culture conditions. In this study, we investigate how scaffold microstructure influences hMSC behavior in a perfusion bioreactor system. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) scaffolds are fabricated using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO(2)) gel drying. This production method results in scaffolds fabricated with nanostructure. To introduce a microporous structure, porogen leaching was used in addition to this technique to produce scaffolds of average pore size of 100, 250, and 500 μm. These scaffolds were then cultured in static culture in well plates or dynamic culture in the tubular perfusion system (TPS) bioreactor. Results indicated that hMSCs were able to attach and maintain viability on all scaffolds with higher proliferation in the 250 μm and 500 μm pore sizes of bioreactor cultured scaffolds and 100 μm pore size of statically cultured scaffolds. Osteoblastic differentiation was enhanced in TPS culture as compared to static culture with the highest alkaline phosphatase expression observed in the 250 μm pore size group. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 was also analyzed and expression levels were highest in the 250 μm and 500 μm pore size bioreactor cultured samples. These results demonstrate cellular response to pore size as well as the ability of dynamic culture to enhance these effects.

Human mesenchymal stem cell position within scaffolds influences cell fate during dynamic culture

Cell-based tissue engineering is limited by the size of cell-containing constructs that can be successfully cultured in vitro. This limit is largely a result of the slow diffusion of molecules such as oxygen into the interior of three-dimensional scaffolds in static culture. Bioreactor culture has been shown to overcome these limits. In this study we utilize a tubular perfusion system (TPS) bioreactor for the three-dimensional dynamic culture of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in spherical alginate bead scaffolds. The goal of this study is to examine the effect of shear stress in the system and then quantify the proliferation and differentiation of hMSCs in different radial annuli of the scaffold. Shear stress was shown to have a temporal effect on hMSC osteoblastic differentiation with a strong correlation of shear stress, osteopontin, and bone morphogenic protein-2 occurring on day 21, and weaker correlation occurring at early timepoints. Further results revealed an approximate 2.5-fold increase in cell number in the inner annulus of TPS cultured constructs as compared to statically cultured constructs after 21 days. This result demonstrated a nutrient transfer limitation in static culture which can be mitigated by dynamic culture. A significant increase (P < 0.05) in mineralization in the inner and outer annuli of bioreactor cultured 4 mm scaffolds occurred on day 21 with 79 ± 29% and 53 ± 25% mineralization area, respectively, compared to 6 ± 4% and 19 ± 6% mineralization area, respectively, in inner and outer annuli of 4 mm statically cultured scaffolds. Surprising lower mineralization area was observed in 2 mm bioreactor cultured beads which had the highest levels of proliferation. These results may demonstrate a relationship between scaffold position and stem cell fate. In addition the decreased proliferation and matrix production in statically cultured scaffolds compared to bioreactor cultured constructs demonstrate the need for bioreactor systems and the effectiveness of the TPS bioreactor in promoting hMSC proliferation and differentiation in three-dimensional scaffolds.

Effect of the glycocalyx layer on transmission of interstitial flow shear stress to embedded cells

In this paper, a simple theoretical model is developed to describe the transmission of force from interstitial fluid flow to the surface of a cell covered by a proteoglycan / glycoprotein layer (glycocalyx) and embedded in an extracellular matrix. Brinkman equations are used to describe flow through the extracellular matrix and glycocalyx layers and the solid mechanical stress developed in the glycocalyx by the fluid flow loading is determined. Using reasonable values for the Darcy permeability of extracellular matrix and glycocalyx layers and interstitial flow velocity, we are able to estimate the fluid and solid shear stresses imposed on the surface of embedded vascular, cartilage and tumor cells in vivo and in vitro. The principal finding is that the surface solid stress is typically one to two orders of magnitude larger than the surface fluid stress. This indicates that interstitial flow shear stress can be sensed by the cell surface glycocalyx, supporting numerous recent observations that interstitial flow can induce mechanotransduction in embedded cells. This study may contribute to understanding of interstitial flow-related mechanobiology in embryogenesis, tumorigenesis, tissue physiology and diseases and has implications in tissue engineering.

Macro-scale topology optimization for controlling internal shear stress in a porous scaffold bioreactor

Shear stress is an important physical factor that regulates proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis. In particular, the homeostasis of blood vessels is dependent on shear stress. To mimic this process ex vivo, efforts have been made to seed scaffolds with vascular and other cell types in the presence of growth factors and under pulsatile flow conditions. However, the resulting bioreactors lack information on shear stress and flow distributions within the scaffold. Consequently, it is difficult to interpret the effects of shear stress on cell function. Such knowledge would enable researchers to improve upon cell culture protocols. Recent work has focused on optimizing the microstructural parameters of the scaffold to fine tune the shear stress. In this study, we have adopted a different approach whereby flows are redirected throughout the bioreactor along channels patterned in the porous scaffold to yield shear stress distributions that are optimized for uniformity centered on a target value. A topology optimization algorithm coupled to computational fluid dynamics simulations was devised to this end. The channel topology in the porous scaffold was varied using a combination of genetic algorithm and fuzzy logic. The method is validated by experiments using magnetic resonance imaging readouts of the flow field.

Dynamic culture induces a cell type-dependent response impacting on the thickness of engineered connective tissues

Mesenchymal cells are central to connective tissue homeostasis and are widely used for tissue-engineering applications. Dermal fibroblasts and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) allow successful tissue reconstruction by the self-assembly approach of tissue engineering. This method leads to the production of multilayered tissues, devoid of exogenous biomaterials, that can be used as stromal compartments for skin or vesical reconstruction. These tissues are formed by combining cell sheets, generated through cell stimulation with ascorbic acid, which favours the cell-derived production/organization of matrix components. Since media motion can impact on cell behaviour, we investigated the effect of dynamic culture on mesenchymal cells during tissue reconstruction, using the self-assembly method. Tissues produced using ASCs in the presence of a wave-like movement were nearly twice thicker than under standard conditions, while no difference was observed for tissues produced from dermal fibroblasts. The increased matrix deposition was not correlated with an increased proliferation of ASCs, or by higher transcript levels of fibronectin or collagens I and III. A 30% increase of type V collagen mRNA was observed. Interestingly, tissues engineered from dermal fibroblasts featured a four-fold higher level of MMP-1 transcripts under dynamic conditions. Mechanical properties were similar for tissues reconstructed using dynamic or static conditions. Finally, cell sheets produced using ASCs under dynamic conditions could readily be manipulated, resulting in a 2 week reduction of the production time (from 5 to 3 weeks). Our results describe a distinctive property of ASCs' response to media motion, indicating that their culture under dynamic conditions leads to optimized tissue engineering.

Micro- and nanoengineering for stem cell biology: the promise with a caution

Current techniques used in stem cell research only crudely mimic the physiological complexity of the stem cell niches. Recent advances in the field of micro- and nanoengineering have brought an array of in vitro cell culture models that have enabled development of novel, highly precise and standardized tools that capture physiological details in a single platform, with greater control, consistency, and throughput. In this review, we describe the micro- and nanotechnology-driven modern toolkit for stem cell biologists to design novel experiments in more physiological microenvironments with increased precision and standardization, and caution them against potential challenges that the modern technologies might present.

The interplay between cell adhesion cues and curvature of cell adherent alginate microgels in multipotent stem cell culture

Cell-adherent microcarriers are increasingly used to expand multipotent stem cells on a large scale for therapeutic applications. However, the role of the microcarrier properties and geometry on the phenotypic activities of multipotent cells has not been well studied. This study presents a significant interplay of the number of cell adhesion sites and the curvature of the microcarrier in regulating cell growth and differentiation by culturing mesenchymal stem cells on alginate microgels chemically linked with oligopeptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence. Interestingly, the cell growth rate and osteogenic differentiation level were increased with the RGD peptide density. At a given RGD peptide density, the cell growth rate was inversely related to the microgel diameter, whereas the osteogenic differentiation level was minimally influenced. The dependency of the cell growth rate on the microgel diameter was related to changes in shear stresses acting on cells according to simulation. Overall, this study identifies material variables key to regulating cellular activities on microcarriers, and these findings will be useful to designing a broad array of bioactive microcarriers.

High-speed optical coherence tomography imaging of the beating avian embryonic heart

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) affect thousands of newborns each year in the United States. Recent research using animal model systems indicates that the abnormal function of the early tubular heart precedes structural defects such as septal defects. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging modality that can provide high spatial and temporal resolution to study both the structure and the function of the tubular heart. With technical advances in OCT imaging speed, especially with frequency domain OCT and image-based retrospective gating, it is now possible to image a beating avian embryonic heart in three dimensions under physiological conditions and follow morphogenesis over critical periods of developmental time. These technological advances have already revealed novel aspects of heart development. By expanding our understanding of heart development, research using OCT technology combined with other imaging modalities may eventually lead to strategies to predict, treat, and even prevent CHDs.

Fluid shear stress primes mouse embryonic stem cells for differentiation in a self-renewing environment via heparan sulfate proteoglycans transduction

Shear stress is a ubiquitous environmental cue experienced by stem cells when they are being differentiated or expanded in perfusion cultures. However, its role in modulating self-renewing stem cell phenotypes is unclear, since shear is usually only studied in the context of cardiovascular differentiation. We used a multiplex microfluidic array, which overcomes the limitations of macroperfusion systems in shear application throughput and precision, to initiate a comprehensive, quantitative study of shear effects on self-renewing mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), where shear stresses varying by >1000 times (0.016-16 dyn/cm(2)) are applied simultaneously. When compared with static controls in the presence or absence of a saturated soluble environment (i.e., mESC-conditioned medium), we ascertained that flow-induced shear stress specifically up-regulates the epiblast marker Fgf5. Epiblast-state transition in mESCs involves heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), which have also been shown to transduce shear stress in endothelial cells. By disrupting (with sulfation inhibitors and heparinase) and partially reconstituting (with heparin) HSPG function, we show that mESCs also mechanically sense shear stress via HSPGs to modulate Fgf5 expression. This study demonstrates that self-renewing mESCs possess the molecular machinery to sense shear stress and provides quantitative shear application benchmarks for future scalable stem cell culture systems.

Fluid shear stress primes mouse embryonic stem cells for differentiation in a self-renewing environment via heparan sulfate proteoglycans transduction

Shear stress is a ubiquitous environmental cue experienced by stem cells when they are being differentiated or expanded in perfusion cultures. However, its role in modulating self-renewing stem cell phenotypes is unclear, since shear is usually only studied in the context of cardiovascular differentiation. We used a multiplex microfluidic array, which overcomes the limitations of macroperfusion systems in shear application throughput and precision, to initiate a comprehensive, quantitative study of shear effects on self-renewing mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), where shear stresses varying by >1000 times (0.016-16 dyn/cm(2)) are applied simultaneously. When compared with static controls in the presence or absence of a saturated soluble environment (i.e., mESC-conditioned medium), we ascertained that flow-induced shear stress specifically up-regulates the epiblast marker Fgf5. Epiblast-state transition in mESCs involves heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), which have also been shown to transduce shear stress in endothelial cells. By disrupting (with sulfation inhibitors and heparinase) and partially reconstituting (with heparin) HSPG function, we show that mESCs also mechanically sense shear stress via HSPGs to modulate Fgf5 expression. This study demonstrates that self-renewing mESCs possess the molecular machinery to sense shear stress and provides quantitative shear application benchmarks for future scalable stem cell culture systems.

Reduced differentiation efficiency of murine embryonic stem cells in stirred suspension bioreactors

The use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) for regenerative medicine has generated increased attention due to the favorable attributes of these cells; namely, they are pluripotent and possess long-term self-renewal capacity. The initial aims of the present study were: (i) to use stirred suspension bioreactors to expand and differentiate ESCs into osteogenic and chondrogenic cell types and (ii) to explore if these ESC-derived cells influenced skeletal healing in an in vivo fracture model. We show that differentiation protocols used in static culture are insufficient when applied directly to suspension culture bioreactors. Moreover, when bioreactor-differentiated cells are transplanted into a burr-hole defect in bone, severe disruption of the bone architecture was noted at the fracture site, as determined by microcomputed tomography (microCT) imaging and histopathology. Further characterization of the bioreactor-differentiated cultures revealed that a subpopulation of cells in the resulting aggregates expressed the pluripotency marker Oct-4 in the nucleus. Nuclear Oct-4 expression persisted even after 30 days of culture in the absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Remarkably, and unlike ESCs differentiated into skeletal cell types in static cultures, bioreactor-differentiated aggregates implanted subcutaneously into SCID mice formed teratomas. The development of effective ESC differentiation protocols for suspension bioreactors will require a more complete understanding of the environmental conditions within these culture systems and the influence that these conditions have on the regulation of pluripotency and differentiation in ESCs.

Toward modeling the bone marrow niche using scaffold-based 3D culture systems

In the bone marrow, specialized microenvironments, called niches, regulate hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance and function through a complex crosstalk between different cell types. Although in vivo studies have been instrumental to elucidate some of the mechanisms by which niches exert their function, the establishment of an in vitro model that recapitulates the fundamental interactions of the niche components in a controlled setting would be of great benefit. We have previously shown that freshly harvested bone marrow- or adipose tissue-derived cells can be cultured under perfusion within porous scaffolds, allowing the formation of an organized 3D stromal tissue, composed by mesenchymal and endothelial progenitors and able to support hematopoiesis. Here we describe 3D scaffold-based perfusion systems as potential models to reconstruct ex vivo the bone marrow stem cell niche. We discuss how several culture parameters, including scaffold properties, cellular makeup and molecular signals, can be varied and controlled to investigate the role of specific cues in affecting HSC fate. We then provide a perspective of how the system could be exploited to improve stem cell-based therapies and how the model can be extended toward the engineering of other specialized stromal niches.

Lab-on-a-chip devices as an emerging platform for stem cell biology

The advent of stem cell based therapies has brought regenerative medicine into an increased focus as a part of the modern medicine practice, with a potential to treat a myriad of intractable diseases in the future. Stem cells reside in a complex microenvironment presenting them with a multitude of potential cues that are chemical, physical, and mechanical in nature. Conventional techniques used for experiments involving stem cells can only poorly mimic the physiological context, and suffer from imprecise spatial and temporal control, low throughput, lack of scalability and reproducibility, and poor representation of the mechanical and physical cell microenvironment. Novel lab-on-a-chip platforms, on the other hand, can much better mimic the complexity of in vivo tissue milieu and provide a greater control of the parameter variation in a high throughput and scalable manner. This capability may be especially important for understanding the biology and cementing the clinical potential of stem cell based therapies. Here we review microfabrication- and microfluidics-based approaches to investigating the complex biology of stem cell responses to changes in the local microenvironment. In particular, we categorize each method based on the types of controlled inputs it can have on stem cells, including soluble biochemical factors, extracellular matrix interactions, homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell signaling, physical cues (e.g. oxygen tension, pH, temperature), and mechanical forces (e.g. shear, topography, rigidity). Finally, we outline the methods to perform large scale observations of stem cell phenotypes and high-throughput screening of cellular responses to a combination of stimuli, and many new emerging technologies that are becoming available specifically for stem cell applications.

Advancing stem cell research with microtechnologies: opportunities and challenges

Stem cells provide unique opportunities for understanding basic biology, for developing tissue models for drug testing, and for clinical applications in regenerative medicine. Despite the promise, the field faces significant challenges in identifying stem cell populations, controlling their fate, and characterizing their phenotype. These challenges arise because stem cells are ultimately functionally defined, and thus can often be identified only retrospectively. New technologies are needed that can provide surrogate markers of stem cell identity, can maintain stem cell state in vitro, and can better direct differentiation. In this review, we discuss the opportunities that microtechnologies, in particular, can provide to the unique qualities of stem cell biology. Microtechnology, by allowing organization and manipulation of cells and molecules at biologically relevant length scales, enables control of the cellular environment and assessment of cell functions and phenotypes with cellular resolution. This provides opportunities to, for instance, create more realistic stem cell niches, perform multi-parameter profiling of single cells, and direct the extracellular signals that control cell fate. All these features take place in an environment whose small size naturally conserves reagent and allows for multiplexing of experiments. By appropriately applying micro-scale engineering principles to stem cell research, we believe that significant breakthroughs can be made in stem cell research.

Effects from shear stress on morphology and growth of early stages of Norway spruce somatic embryos

The shear stress effect on directional expansion of pro embryogenic masses (PEMs) and suspensor cell development of somatic embryos of Norway spruce (Picea abies) at the proliferation stage was studied by a direct and quantitative image analysis system. The experimental system allowed for detailed observations of the effect of hydrodynamic shear stress in rotating and deforming liquid cultures of proliferating Norway spruce somatic embryos. Briefly, somatic embryos at an early development stage comprised only of clusters of meristematic cells without suspensor cells were fixed on an alginate film. The alginate film was affixed on the bottom of a flow cell and the somatic embryos were subjected to laminar flow through the chamber of the flow cell. Magnified images of the cell clusters were collected every 24 h. The image data was processed based on a normalized cross-correlation method, capable of measuring morphological and size features of individual cell clusters in both temporal and spatial domains. No suspensor cells developed in the cell clusters under shear stress of 140 s(-1) for the duration of the experiments. Cell clusters in the control cultured in stationary liquid conditions developed suspensor cells after 5-9 days in culture. Furthermore, the radial growth of meristematic cell clusters was inhibited by shear rates of 86 and 140 s(-1), corresponding to shear stress of 0.086 and 0.14 N/m(2), compared to growth under stationary conditions. The shear rate showed a significant negative correlation to growth rate. Control group showed no preference for direction during growth under static conditions.

Computational modeling of flow-induced shear stresses within 3D salt-leached porous scaffolds imaged via micro-CT

Flow-induced shear stresses have been found to be a stimulatory factor in pre-osteoblastic cells seeded in 3D porous scaffolds and cultured under continuous flow perfusion. However, due to the complex internal structure of porous scaffolds, analytical estimation of the local shear forces is impractical. The primary goal of this work is to investigate the shear stress distributions within Poly(l-lactic acid) scaffolds via computation. Scaffolds used in this study are prepared via salt leeching with various geometric characteristics (80-95% porosity and 215-402.5microm average pore size). High resolution micro-computed tomography is used to obtain their 3D structure. Flow of osteogenic media through the scaffolds is modeled via lattice Boltzmann method. It is found that the surface stress distributions within the scaffolds are characterized by long tails to the right (a positive skewness). Their shape is not strongly dependent on the scaffold manufacturing parameters, but the magnitudes of the stresses are. Correlations are prepared for the estimation of the average surface shear stress experienced by the cells within the scaffolds and of the probability density function of the surface stresses. Though the manufacturing technique does not appear to affect the shape of the shear stress distributions, presence of manufacturing defects is found to be significant: defects create areas of high flow and high stress along their periphery. The results of this study are applicable to other polymer systems provided that they are manufactured by a similar salt leeching technique, while the imaging/modeling approach is applicable to all scaffolds relevant to tissue engineering.

Generation of lung epithelial-like tissue from human embryonic stem cells

Background

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have the capacity to differentiate in vivo and in vitro into cells from all three germ lineages. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of specific culture conditions on the differentiation of hESC into lung epithelial cells.

Methods

Undifferentiated hESC, grown on a porous membrane in hESC medium for four days, were switched to a differentiation medium for four days; this was followed by culture in air-liquid interface conditions during another 20 days. Expression of several lung markers was measured by immunohistochemistry and by quantitative real-time RT-PCR at four different time points throughout the differentiation and compared to appropriate controls.

Results

Expression of CC16 and NKX2.1 showed a 1,000- and 10,000- fold increase at day 10 of differentiation. Other lung markers such as SP-C and Aquaporin 5 had the highest expression after twenty days of culture, as well as two markers for ciliated cells, FOXJ1 and β-tubulin IV. The results from qRT-PCR were confirmed by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded samples. Antibodies against CC16, SP-A and SP-C were chosen as specific markers for Clara Cells and alveolar type II cells. The functionality was tested by measuring the secretion of CC16 in the medium using an enzyme immunoassay.

Conclusion

These results suggest that by using our novel culture protocol hESC can be differentiated into the major cell types of lung epithelial tissue.