Stem cells go soft: pliant substrate surfaces enhance motor neuron differentiation

Ning Wang

doi:10.1016/j.stem.2014.05.007

Stem cells go soft: pliant substrate surfaces enhance motor neuron differentiation

Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Jun 5;14(6):701-3. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.05.007.

Author

Ning Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Electronic address: nwangrw@illinois.edu.

Abstract

Derivation of motor neurons from human pluripotent stem cells is inefficient and requires complex culture protocols. Recently in Nature Materials, Sun et al. (2014) report that differentiating human pluripotent stem cells on soft substrates increases the efficiency of mature motor neuron differentiation by altering cytoskeletal mechanotransduction through the Hippo/YAP/Smad pathway.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Cell Differentiation*
Humans
Mechanotransduction, Cellular*
Motor Neurons / metabolism*
Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

Nuclear Proteins
Transcription Factors
Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases

Grants and funding

R01 GM072744/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States