Abstract
Development of multicellular organisms is a highly orchestrated process, with cells responding to factors and features present in the extracellular milieu. Changes in the surrounding environment help decide the fate of cells at various stages of development. This review highlights recent research that details the effects of mechanical properties of the surrounding environment and extracellular matrix and the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate the behavior of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). In this study, we review the role of mechanical properties during embryogenesis and discuss the effect of engineered microtopographies on ESC pluripotency.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 255-266 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Tissue Engineering. Part B, reviews |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors regret their inability to cite all the articles in the field due to space constraints. S.K. is a recipient of a Senior Research Fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology, India. J.d.B., A.C., B.V., and S.V. acknowledge the financial support of the Dutch province of Limburg. A.C. gratefully acknowledges the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) for a VENI grant (15075), S.V. acknowledges the financial support of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Program (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015; Grant agreement 676338). The authors thank members of the Subramanyam Laboratory and the de Boer group for critical comments.
Keywords
- embryonic stem cells
- extracellular matrix
- pluripotency
- substratum