Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation can be manipulated by nanotopographic interface providing a unique strategy to engineering stem cell therapy and circumventing complex cellular reprogramming. However, our understanding of the nanotopographic-mechanosensitive properties of MSCs and the underlying biophysical linkage of the nanotopography-engineered stem cell to directed commitment remains elusive. Here, we show that osteogenic differentiation of human MSCs (hMSCs) can be largely promoted using our nanoengineered topographic glass substrates in the absence of dexamethasone, a key exogenous factor for osteogenesis induction. We demonstrate that hMSCs sense and respond to surface nanotopography, through modulation of adhesion, cytoskeleton tension, and nuclear activation of TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif), a transcriptional modulator of hMSCs. Our findings demonstrate the potential of nanotopographic surfaces as noninvasive tools to advance cell-based therapies for bone engineering and highlight the origin of biophysical response of hMSC to nanotopography.
Keywords: TAZ; human mesenchymal stem cell; mechanosensitive; nanotopography; osteogenesis.