Emerging strategies for spatiotemporal control of stem cell fate and morphogenesis

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Melissa A. Kinney, Emory University; Todd McDevitt, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-02-01
• Publisher: Elsevier (Cell Press)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2012.11.001
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Trends in Biotechnology
• ISSN: 0167-7799
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 78
• End Page: 84
• Grant/Funding Information: M.A.K. is currently supported by an American Heart Association (AHA) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship; and previously by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.; The authors are supported by funding from the NIH (EB010061, GM088291, AR062006) and NSF (CBET 0939511).
• Keywords: PROLIFERATION; SELF-FORMATION; SPHEROIDS; EMBRYOID BODIES; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; BIOMATERIALS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; IMMOBILIZATION; DEGRADATION; NICHE; Science & Technology; CHONDROGENIC DIFFERENTIATION; CULTURE
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical

Abstract

Stem cell differentiation is regulated by the complex interplay of multiple parameters, including adhesive intercellular interactions, cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix remodeling, and gradients of agonists and antagonists that individually and collectively vary as a function of spatial locale and temporal stages of development. Current approaches to direct stem cell differentiation focus on systematically understanding the relative influences of microenvironmental perturbations and simultaneously engineering platforms aimed at recapitulating physicochemical aspects of tissue morphogenesis. This review focuses on novel approaches to control the spatiotemporal dynamics of stem cell signaling and morphogenic remodeling to direct the differentiation of stem cells and develop functional tissues for in vitro screening and regenerative medicine technologies.