Environmental physical cues determine the lineage specification of mesenchymal stem cells

Physical cues of cellular environment affect cell fate and differentiation. For example, an environment with high stiffness drives mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to undergo osteogenic differentiation, while low stiffness leads to lipogenic differentiation. Such effects could be independent of chemical/biochemical inducers. Stiffness and/or topography of cellular environment can control MSC differentiation and fate determination. In addition,...