Embryonic stem cells growing in 3-dimensions shift from reliance on the substrate to each other for mechanical support

作者：Teo Ailing; Lim Mayasari; Weihs Daphne^*

来源：Journal of Biomechanics, 2015, 48(10): 1777-1781.

DOI：10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.05.009

• Cell biomechanics
• Traction force microscopy
• Mouse embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) grow into three-dimensional (3D) spheroid structures en-route to tissue growth. In vitro spheroids can be controllably induced on a two-dimensional (20) substrate with high viability. Here we use a method for inducing pluripotent embryoid body (EB) formation on flat poly acrylamide gels while simultaneously evaluating the dynamic changes in the mechano-biology of the growing 3D spheroids. During colony growth in 3D, pluripotency is conserved while the spheroid-substrate interactions change significantly. We correlate colony-size, cell-applied traction-forces, and expressions of cell-surface molecules indicating cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, while verifying pluripotency. We show that as the colony size increases with time, the stresses applied by the spheroid to the gel decrease in the 3D growing EBs; control cells growing in 2D-monolayers maintain unvarying forces. Concurrently, focal-adhesion mediated cell-substrate interactions give way to E-cadherin cell-cell connections, while pluripotency. The mechano-biological changes occurring in the growing embryoid body are required for stabilization of the growing pluripotent 3D-structure, and can affect its potential uses including differentiation. This could enable development of more effective expansion, differentiation, and separation approaches for clinical purposes.

• 出版日期2015-7-16
• 单位南阳理工学院