Mesenchymal stem cellWIKIMEDIA, ROBERT M. HUNTThe texture of the surface a cell grows on can influence how it develops and differentiates. Topography exerts this influence in part by altering the lengths of primary cilia, according to a study published today (December 18) in Scientific Reports. The study demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)—a type of multipotent cell derived from bone marrow—have longer cilia when they grow on surfaces that are grooved rather than flat. The lengthened cilia alter Wnt/β-catenin signaling, an extracellular messaging system that drives spatial differentiation of cells.
“This intricate study is a wonderful contribution to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the powerful role of the primary cilium in regulating stem cell differentiation,” said David Hoey, a biomedical engineer at the University of Limerick in Ireland who was not involved in the study.
Previous work had shown that impairment of primary cilia leads to changes in cell differentiation, according to study coauthor Martin Knight, a bioengineer at Queen Mary University of London. In contrast to motile cilia, which are known to move mucus, liquids, and debris over various surfaces throughout the body, for many years the purpose of nonmotile primary cilia was a mystery. “It’s only recently people have realized primary cilia are important to a whole range of signaling within the ...
