Substrate Elasticity Regulates Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Self-Renewal
Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Self-Renewal
Using a bioengineered substrate to recapitulate key biophysical and biochemical niche features in conjunction with a highly automated single-cell tracking algorithm, it is shown that substrate elasticity is a potent regulator of MuSC fate in culture.- LCSB ( Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering)
In collaboration with researchers of Stanford University, Prof. Matthias Lutolf (LCSB - Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering) showed that a specialized physical environment modulates stemm cell behavior.Unlike conventional cell culture (plastic) dishes, novel bioengineered cell culture substrates based on soft hydrogels (developed in the Lutolf Lab) recapitulating the physiological rigidity of muscle, were shown to induce self-renewal of very difficult-to-culture muscle stem cells. The cells remained functionally active as was demonstrated by muscle regeneration upon transplantation of cultured cells into mice.
Gilbert P.M. et al., Science 329 (5995), 1078-1081 (2010)
Mickie Bhatia, Science 329 (5995), 1024-1025 (2010)