title: Physical properties of mesenchymal stem cells are coordinated by the perinuclear actin cap.
abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively investigated for their applications in regenerative medicine. Successful use of MSCs in cell-based therapies will rely on the ability to effectively identify their properties and functions with a relatively non-destructive methodology. In this study, we measured the surface stiffness and thickness of rat MSCs with atomic force microscopy and clarified their relation at a single-cell level. The role of the perinuclear actin cap in regulating the thickness, stiffness, and proliferative activity of these cells was also determined by using several actin cytoskeleton-modifying reagents. This study has helped elucidate a possible link between the physical properties and the physiological function of the MSCs, and the corresponding regulatory role of the actin cytoskeleton.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Japan. takanori.kihara@gmail.com
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: Seyed Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Haghparast
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuba
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyake
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D022502:Stress Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000199:Actins