title: NANOG Restores Contractility of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Senescent Microtissues.
abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively used in the field of tissue engineering as a source of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). However, recent studies showed deficits in the contractile function of SMCs derived from senescent MSCs and there are no available strategies to restore the contractile function that is impaired due to cellular or organismal senescence. In this study, we developed a tetracycline-regulatable system and employed micropost tissue arrays to evaluate the effects of the embryonic transcription factor, NANOG, on the contractility of senescent MSCs. Using this system, we show that expression of NANOG fortified the actin cytoskeleton and restored contractile function that was impaired in senescent MSCs. NANOG increased the expression of smooth muscle α-actin (ACTA2) as well as the contractile force generated by cells in three-dimensional microtissues. Interestingly, NANOG worked together with transforming growth factor-beta1 to further enhance the contractility of senescent microtissues. The effect of NANOG on contractile function was sustained for about 10 days after termination of its expression. Our results show that NANOG could reverse the effects of stem cell senescence and restore the myogenic differentiation potential of senescent MSCs. These findings may enable development of novel strategies to restore the function of senescent cardiovascular and other SMC-containing tissues.
authors.affiliation: 1 Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.
authors.forename: Aref
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahini
authors.affiliation: 1 Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mistriotis
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.
authors.forename: Mohammadnabi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asmani
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.
authors.forename: Ruogang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: 1 Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.|2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Amherst, New York.|3 Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences , Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: Stelios T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Andreadis
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: C541116:ACTA2 protein, human; D000199:Actins; C486780:NANOG protein, human; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: ACTIN cytoskeleton; NANOG; aging; senescence; smooth muscle contraction; stem cells