title: Matrix-specified differentiation of human decidua parietalis placental stem cells.
abstract: To create suitable biological scaffolds for tissue engineering and cell therapeutics, it is essential to understand the matrix-mediated specification of stem cell differentiation. To this end, we studied the effect of collagen type I on stem cell lineage specification. We altered the properties of collagen type I by incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNT). The collagen-CNT composite material was stiffer with thicker fibers and longer D-period. Human decidua parietalis stem cells (hdpPSC) were found to differentiate exclusively and rapidly towards neural cells on the collagen-CNT matrix. We attribute this accelerated neural differentiation to the enhanced structural and mechanical properties of collagen-CNT material. Strikingly, the collagen-CNT matrix, unlike collagen, imposes the neural fate by an alternate mechanism that may be independent of beta-1 integrin and beta-catenin. The study demonstrates the sensitivity of stem cells to subtle changes in the matrix and the utilization of a novel biocomposite material for efficient and directed differentiation of stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60616, United States.
authors.forename: Indumathi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sridharan
authors.forename: Taeyoung
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Strakova
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D049108:Cell Enlargement; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000502:physiology; D003656:Decidua / Q000166:cytology*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000502:physiology; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I; D019012:Integrin beta1; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon
keywords: Carbon nanotubes; Collagen; Neural differentiation; Stem cells