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Qiu X, Deng Z, Wang M, Feng Y, Bi L, Li L. Piezo protein determines stem cell fate by transmitting mechanical signals. Hum Cell 2023; 36:540-553. [PMID: 36580272 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-022-00853-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Piezo ion channel is a mechanosensitive protein on the cell membrane, which contains Piezo1 and Piezo2. Piezo channels are activated by mechanical forces, including stretch, matrix stiffness, static pressure, and shear stress. Piezo channels transmit mechanical signals that cause different downstream responses in the differentiation process, including integrin signaling pathway, ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathway, Notch signaling, and WNT signaling pathway. In the fate of stem cell differentiation, scientists found differences in Piezo channel expression and found that Piezo channel expression is related to developmental diseases. Here, we briefly review the structure and function of Piezo channels and the relationship between Piezo and mechanical signals, discussing the current understanding of the role of Piezo channels in stem cell fate and associated molecules and developmental diseases. Ultimately, we believe this review will help identify the association between Piezo channels and stem cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Qiu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, China
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Zhuoyue Deng
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Meijing Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710004, China
| | - Yuqi Feng
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Lintao Bi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, China.
| | - Lisha Li
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
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Xu Z, Li Y, Li P, Sun Y, Lv S, Wang Y, He X, Xu J, Xu Z, Li L, Li Y. Soft substrates promote direct chemical reprogramming of fibroblasts into neurons. Acta Biomater 2022; 152:255-272. [PMID: 36041647 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblasts can be directly reprogrammed via a combination of small molecules to generate induced neurons (iNs), bypassing intermediate stages. This method holds great promise for regenerative medicine; however, it remains inefficient. Recently, studies have suggested that physical cues may improve the direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into neurons, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be further explored, and the physical factors reported to date do not exhibit the full properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Previous in vitro studies mainly used rigid polystyrene dishes, while one of the characteristics of the native in-vivo environment of neurons is the soft nature of brain ECM. The reported stiffness of brain tissue is very soft ranging between 100 Pa and 3 kPa, and the effect of substrate stiffness on direct neuronal reprogramming has not been explored. Here, we show for the first time that soft substrates substantially improved the production efficiency and quality of iNs, without needing to co-culture with glial cells during reprogramming, producing more glutamatergic neurons with electrophysiological functions in a shorter time. Transcriptome sequencing indicated that soft substrates might promote glutamatergic neuron reprogramming through integrins, actin cytoskeleton, Hippo signalling pathway, and regulation of mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition, and competing endogenous RNA network analysis provided new targets for neuronal reprogramming. We demonstrated that soft substrates may promote neuronal reprogramming by inhibiting microRNA-615-3p-targeting integrin subunit beta 4. Our findings can aid the development of regenerative therapies and help improve our understanding of neuronal reprogramming. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: : First, we have shown that low stiffness promotes direct reprogramming on the basis of small molecule combinations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on this type of method, which may greatly promote the progress of neural reprogramming. Second, we found that miR-615-3p may interact with ITGB4, and the soft substrates may promote neural reprogramming by inhibiting microRNA (miR)-615-3p targeting integrin subunit beta 4 (ITGB4). We are the first to report on this mechanism. Our findings will provide more functional neurons for subsequent basic and clinical research in neurological regenerative medicine, and will help to improve the overall understanding of neural reprogramming. This work also provides new ideas for the design of medical biomaterials for nerve regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziran Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Yan Li
- Division of Orthopedics and Biotechnology, Department for Clinical Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Pengdong Li
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan 511518, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yingying Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; Department of Stomatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Shuang Lv
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Yin Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Xia He
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; Department of Pathology, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan 030032, China.
| | - Jinying Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; Department of Burns Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China.
| | - Zhixiang Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Lisha Li
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Yulin Li
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
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Cao H, Zhou Q, Liu C, Zhang Y, Xie M, Qiao W, Dong N. Substrate stiffness regulates differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into heart valve endothelial cells. Acta Biomater 2022; 143:115-126. [PMID: 35235867 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Substrate stiffness has been indicated as a primary determinant for stem cell fate, being capable of influencing motility, proliferation, and differentiation. Although the effects of stiffness on cardiac differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (h-iPSCs) have been reported, whether stiffness of polydimethylsiloxane-based substrates could enhance differentiation of h-iPSCs toward heart valve endothelial cells lineage (VECs) or not remains unknown. Herein, we modulated the substrate stiffness to evaluate its effect on the differentiation of h-iPSCs into valve endothelial-like cells (h-iVECs) in vitro and determine the suitable stiffness. The results revealed that VECs-related genes (PECAM1, CDH5, NFATC1, etc.) were significantly increased in h-iVECs obtained from the three substrates compared with h-iPSCs. Gene expression levels and differentiation efficiency were higher in the medium group than in the stiff and soft groups. An increase in substrate stiffness to 2.8 GPa decreased the efficiency of h-iPSCs differentiation into h-iVECs and downregulated VECs specific genes. Through mRNA sequencing, we determined the key genetic markers involved in stiffness guiding the differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells into h-iVECs. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering showed that medium stiffness were more suitable for the differentiation of h-iPSCs into h-iVECs in vitro. Moreover, this process is regulated by the WNT/Calcineurin signaling pathway. Overall, this study demonstrates how stiffness can be used to enhance the h-iVECs differentiation of iPSCs and emphasizes the importance of using substrate stiffness to accomplish a more specific and mature differentiation of h-iVECs for future therapeutic and tissue engineering valve applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Several studies have examined the stiffness-induced cell fate from pluripotent stem cells during the stage of mesoderm cell differentiation. This is the first research that rigorously examines the effect of substrate stiffness on human valve endothelial-like cells differentiation from cardiac progenitor cells. We found that the medium stiffness can increase the differentiation efficiency of h-iVECs from 40% to about 60%, and this process was regulated by the WNT/CaN signaling pathway through the activation of WNT5a. Substrate stiffness not only increases the differentiation efficiency of h-iVECs, but also improves its cellular functions such as low-density lipoprotein uptake and NO release. This study emphasizes the importance of using substrate stiffness to accomplish a more specific and mature differentiation of h-iVECs.
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Mukherjee M, Mandal P, Patra D, Pal D, Shunmugam R, Chattopadhyay D. A unique twisted rod‐like pattern due to π‐π stacking induced host‐guest self‐assembly. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20210235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Madhumita Mukherjee
- Department of Polymer Science and Technology University of Calcutta Kolkata India
| | - Piyali Mandal
- Polymer Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Department of Chemical Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Nadia India
| | - Diptendu Patra
- Polymer Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Department of Chemical Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Nadia India
| | - Dwaipayan Pal
- Polymer Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Department of Chemical Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Nadia India
| | - Raja Shunmugam
- Polymer Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Department of Chemical Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Nadia India
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Zou T, Jiang S, Yi B, Chen Q, Heng BC, Zhang C. Gelatin methacrylate hydrogel loaded with brain-derived neurotrophic factor enhances small molecule-induced neurogenic differentiation of stem cells from apical papilla. J Biomed Mater Res A 2021; 110:623-634. [PMID: 34590393 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The limited neurogenic potential of adult stem cells and their non-specific lineage differentiation pose major challenges in cell-replacement therapy for neurological disorders. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the neurogenic potential of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) was significantly improved upon induction with a small molecule cocktail. This study attempted to investigate whether neuronal differentiation of SCAPs induced by a small molecule cocktail can be further enhanced in a three-dimensional gelatin methacrylate hydrogel loaded with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF-GelMA). The physiological properties and neural differentiation of SCAPs treated with a combination of small molecules and BDNF-GelMA were evaluated by CCK8, Live/Dead assay, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunocytochemistry. SCAPs embedded in BDNF-GelMA displayed superior morphological characteristics when induced by a small molecule cocktail, similar to neuronal phenotypes as compared to pure GelMA. There was significant upregulation of neural markers including Tuj1 and MAP2 by SCAPs embedded in BDNF-GelMA, as compared to pure GelMA. Hence, GelMA hydrogel loaded with a potent neurotrophic factor (BDNF) provides a conducive scaffold that can further enhance the differentiation of small molecule-treated SCAPs into neuronal-like cells, which may provide a therapeutic platform for the management of neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zou
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shan Jiang
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Baicheng Yi
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qixin Chen
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Chengfei Zhang
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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