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Hu J, Anderson W, Hayes E, Strauss EA, Lang J, Bacos J, Simacek N, Vu HH, McCarty OJ, Kim H, Kang Y(A. The development, use, and challenges of electromechanical tissue stimulation systems. Artif Organs 2024; 48:943-960. [PMID: 38887912 PMCID: PMC11321926 DOI: 10.1111/aor.14808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tissue stimulations greatly affect cell growth, phenotype, and function, and they play an important role in modeling tissue physiology. With the goal of understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying the response of tissues to external stimulations, in vitro models of tissue stimulation have been developed in hopes of recapitulating in vivo tissue function. METHODS Herein we review the efforts to create and validate tissue stimulators responsive to electrical or mechanical stimulation including tensile, compression, torsion, and shear. RESULTS Engineered tissue platforms have been designed to allow tissues to be subjected to selected types of mechanical stimulation from simple uniaxial to humanoid robotic stain through equal-biaxial strain. Similarly, electrical stimulators have been developed to apply selected electrical signal shapes, amplitudes, and load cycles to tissues, lending to usage in stem cell-derived tissue development, tissue maturation, and tissue functional regeneration. Some stimulators also allow for the observation of tissue morphology in real-time while cells undergo stimulation. Discussion on the challenges and limitations of tissue simulator development is provided. CONCLUSIONS Despite advances in the development of useful tissue stimulators, opportunities for improvement remain to better reproduce physiological functions by accounting for complex loading cycles, electrical and mechanical induction coupled with biological stimuli, and changes in strain affected by applied inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Hu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering; University of Massachusetts; Lowell, MA 01854 USA
| | - William Anderson
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Emily Hayes
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Ellie Annah Strauss
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Jordan Lang
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Josh Bacos
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Noah Simacek
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
| | - Helen H. Vu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, OR 97239 USA
| | - Owen J.T. McCarty
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, OR 97239 USA
- Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, OR 97201 USA
| | - Hoyeon Kim
- Department of Engineering; Loyola University Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21210 USA
| | - Youngbok (Abraham) Kang
- Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering; George Fox University; Newberg, OR 97132 USA
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Pancheri NM, Ellingson AJ, Marchus CR, Durgesh V, Verhage T, Yensen N, Schiele NR. Lysyl Oxidase Production by Murine C3H10T1/2 Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Increased by TGFβs and Differentially Modulated by Mechanical Stimuli. Stem Cells Dev 2024; 33:355-364. [PMID: 38770821 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2023.0295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Tendons are frequently injured and have limited regenerative capacity. This motivates tissue engineering efforts aimed at restoring tendon function through strategies to direct functional tendon formation. Generation of a crosslinked collagen matrix is paramount to forming mechanically functional tendon. However, it is unknown how lysyl oxidase (LOX), the primary mediator of enzymatic collagen crosslinking, is regulated by stem cells. This study investigates how multiple factors previously identified to promote tendon formation and healing (transforming growth factor [TGF]β1 and TGFβ2, mechanical stimuli, and hypoxia-inducible factor [HIF]-1α) regulate LOX production in the murine C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line. We hypothesized that TGFβ signaling promotes LOX activity in C3H10T1/2 MSCs, which is regulated by both mechanical stimuli and HIF-1α activation. TGFβ1 and TGFβ2 increased LOX levels as a function of concentration and time. Inhibiting the TGFβ type I receptor (TGFβRI) decreased TGFβ2-induced LOX production by C3H10T1/2 MSCs. Low (5 mPa) and high (150 mPa) magnitudes of fluid shear stress were applied to test impacts of mechanical stimuli, but without TGFβ2, loading alone did not alter LOX levels. Low loading (5 mPa) with TGFβ2 increased LOX at 7 days greater than TGFβ2 treatment alone. Neither HIF-1α knockdown (siRNA) nor activation (CoCl2) affected LOX levels. Ultimately, results suggest that TGFβ2 and appropriate loading magnitudes contribute to LOX production by C3H10T1/2 MSCs. Potential application of these findings includes treatment with TGFβ2 and appropriate mechanical stimuli to modulate LOX production by stem cells to ultimately control collagen matrix stiffening and support functional tendon formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Pancheri
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Allison J Ellingson
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Colin R Marchus
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Vibhav Durgesh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Tabitha Verhage
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Nicholas Yensen
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Nathan R Schiele
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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Wang Y, Qin Q, Wang Z, Negri S, Sono T, Tower RJ, Li Z, Xing X, Archer M, Thottappillil N, Zhu M, Suarez A, Kim DH, Harvey T, Fan CM, James AW. The Mohawk homeobox gene represents a marker and osteo-inhibitory factor in calvarial suture osteoprogenitor cells. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:420. [PMID: 38886383 PMCID: PMC11183145 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06813-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
The regeneration of the mammalian skeleton's craniofacial bones necessitates the action of intrinsic and extrinsic inductive factors from multiple cell types, which function hierarchically and temporally to control the differentiation of osteogenic progenitors. Single-cell transcriptomics of developing mouse calvarial suture recently identified a suture mesenchymal progenitor population with previously unappreciated tendon- or ligament-associated gene expression profile. Here, we developed a Mohawk homeobox (MkxCG; R26RtdT) reporter mouse and demonstrated that this reporter identifies an adult calvarial suture resident cell population that gives rise to calvarial osteoblasts and osteocytes during homeostatic conditions. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) data reveal that Mkx+ suture cells display a progenitor-like phenotype with expression of teno-ligamentous genes. Bone injury with Mkx+ cell ablation showed delayed bone healing. Remarkably, Mkx gene played a critical role as an osteo-inhibitory factor in calvarial suture cells, as knockdown or knockout resulted in increased osteogenic differentiation. Localized deletion of Mkx in vivo also resulted in robustly increased calvarial defect repair. We further showed that mechanical stretch dynamically regulates Mkx expression, in turn regulating calvarial cell osteogenesis. Together, we define Mkx+ cells within the suture mesenchyme as a progenitor population for adult craniofacial bone repair, and Mkx acts as a mechanoresponsive gene to prevent osteogenic differentiation within the stem cell niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Qizhi Qin
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Ziyi Wang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Stefano Negri
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynaecology of the University of Verona, 37134, Verona, Italy
| | - Takashi Sono
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Robert J Tower
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Zhao Li
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Xin Xing
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Mary Archer
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - Manyu Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Allister Suarez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Deok-Ho Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tyler Harvey
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Chen-Ming Fan
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Aaron W James
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Deng R, Kang R, Jin X, Wang Z, Liu X, Wang Q, Xie L. Mechanical stimulation promotes MSCs healing the lesion of intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1137199. [PMID: 36845186 PMCID: PMC9950411 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1137199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and scaffolds offer promising perspectives for annulus fibrosus (AF) repair. The repair effect was linked to features of the local mechanical environment related to the differentiation of MSCs. In this study, we established a Fibrinogen-Thrombin-Genipin (Fib-T-G) gel which is sticky and could transfer strain force from AF tissue to the human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) embedded in the gel. After the Fib-T-G biological gel was injected into the AF fissures, the histology scores of intervertebral disc (IVD) and AF tissue showed that Fib-T-G gel could better repair the AF fissure in caudal IVD of rats, and increase the expression of AF-related proteins including Collagen 1 (COL1), Collagen 2 (COL2) as well as mechanotransduction-related proteins including RhoA and ROCK1. To clarify the mechanism that sticky Fib-T-G gel induces the healing of AF fissures and the differentiation of hMSCs, we further investigated the differentiation of hMSCs under mechanical strain in vitro. It was demonstrated that both AF-specific genes, including Mohawk and SOX-9, and ECM markers (COL1, COL2, aggrecan) of hMSCs were up-regulated in the environment of strain force. Moreover, RhoA/ROCK1 proteins were also found to be significantly up-regulated. In addition, we further -demonstrated that the fibrochondroinductive effect of the mechanical microenvironment process could be significantly blocked or up-regulated by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK1 pathway or overexpressing RhoA in MSCs, respectively. Summarily, this study will provide a therapeutic alternative to repair AF tears and provide evidence that RhoA/ROCK1 is vital for hMSCs response to mechanical strain and AF-like differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Deng
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ran Kang
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,Department of Orthopedics, Nanjing Lishui Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,*Correspondence: Ran Kang, ; Xin Liu, ; Lin Xie,
| | - Xiaoyu Jin
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,Department of Sports Medicine and Adult Reconstructive Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zihan Wang
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,*Correspondence: Ran Kang, ; Xin Liu, ; Lin Xie,
| | - Qing Wang
- School of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lin Xie
- Third School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,*Correspondence: Ran Kang, ; Xin Liu, ; Lin Xie,
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Amini M, Venkatesan JK, Liu W, Leroux A, Nguyen TN, Madry H, Migonney V, Cucchiarini M. Advanced Gene Therapy Strategies for the Repair of ACL Injuries. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214467. [PMID: 36430947 PMCID: PMC9695211 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the principal ligament for stabilization of the knee, is highly predisposed to injury in the human population. As a result of its poor intrinsic healing capacities, surgical intervention is generally necessary to repair ACL lesions, yet the outcomes are never fully satisfactory in terms of long-lasting, complete, and safe repair. Gene therapy, based on the transfer of therapeutic genetic sequences via a gene vector, is a potent tool to durably and adeptly enhance the processes of ACL repair and has been reported for its workability in various experimental models relevant to ACL injuries in vitro, in situ, and in vivo. As critical hurdles to the effective and safe translation of gene therapy for clinical applications still remain, including physiological barriers and host immune responses, biomaterial-guided gene therapy inspired by drug delivery systems has been further developed to protect and improve the classical procedures of gene transfer in the future treatment of ACL injuries in patients, as critically presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnaz Amini
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, Kirrbergerstr. Bldg 37, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Jagadeesh K. Venkatesan
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, Kirrbergerstr. Bldg 37, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Wei Liu
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, Kirrbergerstr. Bldg 37, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Amélie Leroux
- Laboratoire CSPBAT UMR CNRS 7244, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Avenue JB Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Tuan Ngoc Nguyen
- Laboratoire CSPBAT UMR CNRS 7244, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Avenue JB Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Henning Madry
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, Kirrbergerstr. Bldg 37, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Véronique Migonney
- Laboratoire CSPBAT UMR CNRS 7244, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Avenue JB Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Magali Cucchiarini
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, Kirrbergerstr. Bldg 37, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
- Correspondence: or
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6
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Gomez-Florit M, Labrador-Rached CJ, Domingues RM, Gomes ME. The tendon microenvironment: Engineered in vitro models to study cellular crosstalk. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 185:114299. [PMID: 35436570 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tendinopathy is a multi-faceted pathology characterized by alterations in tendon microstructure, cellularity and collagen composition. Challenged by the possibility of regenerating pathological or ruptured tendons, the healing mechanisms of this tissue have been widely researched over the past decades. However, so far, most of the cellular players and processes influencing tendon repair remain unknown, which emphasizes the need for developing relevant in vitro models enabling to study the complex multicellular crosstalk occurring in tendon microenvironments. In this review, we critically discuss the insights on the interaction between tenocytes and the other tendon resident cells that have been devised through different types of existing in vitro models. Building on the generated knowledge, we stress the need for advanced models able to mimic the hierarchical architecture, cellularity and physiological signaling of tendon niche under dynamic culture conditions, along with the recreation of the integrated gradients of its tissue interfaces. In a forward-looking vision of the field, we discuss how the convergence of multiple bioengineering technologies can be leveraged as potential platforms to develop the next generation of relevant in vitro models that can contribute for a deeper fundamental knowledge to develop more effective treatments.
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7
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Ding L, Zhou B, Hou Y, Xu L. Stem cells in tendon regeneration and factors governing tenogenesis. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 17:503-512. [PMID: 35086458 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x17666220127111135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Tendons are connective tissue structures of paramount importance to the human ability of locomotion. Tendinopathy and tendon rupture can be resistant to treatment and often recurs, thus resulting in a significant health problem with a relevant social impact worldwide. Unfortunately, existing treatment approaches are suboptimal. A better understanding of the basic biology of tendons may provide a better way to solve these problems and promote tendon regeneration. Stem cells, either obtained from tendons or non-tendon sources, such as bone marrow (BMSCs), adipose tissue (AMSCs), as well as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have received increasing attention toward enhancing tendon healing. There are many studies showing that stem cells can contribute to improving tendon healing. Hence, in this review, the current knowledge of BMSCs, AMSCs, TSPCs, ESCs and iPSCs for tendon regeneration, as well as the advantages and limitations among them, has been highlighted. Moreover, the transcriptional and bioactive factors governing tendon healing processes have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingli Ding
- Lingnan Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - BingYu Zhou
- Lingnan Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yonghui Hou
- Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Liangliang Xu
- Lingnan Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Tsutsumi H, Kurimoto R, Nakamichi R, Chiba T, Matsushima T, Fujii Y, Sanada R, Kato T, Shishido K, Sakamaki Y, Kimura T, Kishida A, Asahara H. Generation of a tendon-like tissue from human iPS cells. J Tissue Eng 2022; 13:20417314221074018. [PMID: 35083031 PMCID: PMC8785341 DOI: 10.1177/20417314221074018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tendons and ligaments are essential connective tissues that connect the muscle and bone. Their recovery from injuries is known to be poor, highlighting the crucial need for an effective therapy. A few reports have described the development of artificial ligaments with sufficient strength from human cells. In this study, we successfully generated a tendon-like tissue (bio-tendon) using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We first differentiated human iPSCs into mesenchymal stem cells (iPSC-MSCs) and transfected them with Mohawk (Mkx) to obtain Mkx-iPSC-MSCs, which were applied to a newly designed chamber with a mechanical stretch incubation system. The embedded Mkx-iPSC-MSCs created bio-tendons and exhibited an aligned extracellular matrix structure. Transplantation of the bio-tendons into a mouse Achilles tendon rupture model showed host-derived cell infiltration with improved histological score and biomechanical properties. Taken together, the bio-tendon generated in this study has potential clinical applications for tendon/ligament-related injuries and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Tsutsumi
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Ryota Kurimoto
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Ryo Nakamichi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tomoki Chiba
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Takahide Matsushima
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Yuta Fujii
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Risa Sanada
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Tomomi Kato
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Kana Shishido
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Yuriko Sakamaki
- Research Core, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Kimura
- Department of Material-Based Medical Engineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Akio Kishida
- Department of Material-Based Medical Engineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Asahara
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo City, Japan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Chen G, Fan D, Zhang W, Wang S, Gu J, Gao Y, He L, Li W, Zhang C, Li M, Zhang Y, Liu Z, Hao Q. Mkx mediates tenogenic differentiation but incompletely inhibits the proliferation of hypoxic MSCs. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:426. [PMID: 34321079 PMCID: PMC8317301 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02506-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hypoxia has been shown to be able to induce tenogenic differentiation and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which lead hypoxia-induced MSCs to be a potential treatment for tendon injury. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the tenogenic differentiation and proliferation process of hypoxic MSCs, which limited the application of differentiation-inducing therapies in tendon repair. This study was designed to investigate the role of Mohawk homeobox (Mkx) in tenogenic differentiation and proliferation of hypoxic MSCs. Methods qRT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were performed to evaluate the expression of Mkx and other tendon-associated markers in adipose-derived MSCs (AMSCs) and bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) under hypoxia condition. Small interfering RNA technique was applied to observe the effect of Mkx levels on the expression of tendon-associated markers in normoxic and hypoxic BMSCs. Hypoxic BMSCs infected with Mkx-specific short hair RNA (shRNA) or scramble were implanted into the wound gaps of injured patellar tendons to assess the effect of Mkx levels on tendon repair. In addition, cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation unit assay, cell cycle analysis, and EdU assay were adopted to determine the proliferation capacity of normoxic or hypoxic BMSCs infected with or without Mkx-specific shRNA. Results Our data showed that the expression of Mkx significantly increased in hypoxic AMSCs and increased much higher in hypoxic BMSCs. Our results also detected that the expression of tenogenic differentiation markers after downregulation of Mkx were significantly decreased not only in normoxic BMSCs, but also in hypoxic BMSCs which paralleled the inferior histological evidences, worse biomechanical properties, and smaller diameters of collagen fibrils in vivo. In addition, our in vitro data demonstrated that the optical density values, the clone numbers, the percentage of cells in S phage, and cell proliferation potential of both normoxic and hypoxic BMSCs were all significantly increased after knockdown of Mkx and were also significantly enhanced in both AMSCs and BMSCs in hypoxia condition under which the expression of Mkx was upregulated. Conclusions These findings strongly suggested that Mkx mediated hypoxia-induced tenogenic differentiation of MSCs but could not completely repress the proliferation of hypoxic MSCs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02506-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanyin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Dong Fan
- Department of General Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wangqian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jintao Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lei He
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weina Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Meng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yingqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhaohui Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Qiang Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
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