Stem Cell Interaction with Topography

The growth and differentiation of stem cells are regulated by biochemical and biophysical cues in the extracellular microenvironment. Increasing evidences have shown that substrate topography, one of the biophysical properties of the microenvironment, can affect stem cell fate, such as the maintenance of embryonic stem cells and the differentiation of adult and embryonic stem cells. The underlying mechanism of how topography influences stem cells remains unknown. Nevertheless, the advancement in technology has enabled the fabrication of synthetic topography with different materials, chemistries, geometries and sizes, allowing systematic studies of the underlying mechanism. Recent studies show that the topography-induced stem cells response can be a result of mechanotransduction via cellular components such as intergrins, focal adhesion and cytoskeleton organization.