Biophysical regulation of cell reprogramming

Biophysical factors can regulate many aspects of cell functions,including proliferation,migration and differentiation.In general,biophysical factors activate a myriad of signaling events;however,whether there is a common paradigm for various mechnotransduction processes is not clear.Here we use cell reprogramming as a model to address this issue.Previous studies have shown that biochemical factors can help reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells,but the role of biophysical factors during this process remains unknown.We show,for the first time,that biophysical cues,in the form of micropatterned surfaces,can replace the effects of small molecule epigenetic modifiers and significantly improve the reprogramming efficiency.

Biophysical factors can regulate many aspects of cell functions,including proliferation,migration and differentiation.In general,biophysical factors activate a myriad of signaling events;however,whether there is a common paradigm for various mechnotransduction processes is not clear.Here we use cell reprogramming as a model to address this issue.Previous studies have shown that biochemical factors can help reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells,but the role of biophysical factors during this process remains unknown.We show,for the first time,that biophysical cues,in the form of micropatterned surfaces,can replace the effects of small molecule epigenetic modifiers and significantly improve the reprogramming efficiency.The