The Biophysical Micro-Environment's Influence on Cell Fate Decisions During Macrophage Activation and Somatic Cell Reprogramming

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the biophysical micro-environment influences cell fate decisions, focusing on macrophage activation and somatic cell reprogramming, highlighting the roles of adhesion, substrate topography, and intracellular forces.

Contribution

It explores the effects of biomaterial design and mechanical cues on epigenetic and transcriptional regulation during cell fate changes, revealing new insights into mechanotransduction mechanisms.

Findings

Substrate topography modulates fibroblast epigenetic states.

Adhesion proteins influence macrophage activation.

Mechanical forces affect cell reprogramming efficiency.

Abstract

Cells are known to sense and respond to their mechanical microenvironment in profound ways. Various evidence has implicated the adhesome, a body of adhesion associated proteins, in several cell fate decisions, including differentiation and proliferation. Furthermore, recent work has demonstrated that substrate topography can modulate the epigenetic state of fibroblasts, facilitate cell reprogramming, and temper inflammation. However, the effectors responsible for such phenomena remain poorly understood. Here we explore the effect of biomaterial design, adhesion, and intracellular forces of the epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of cell state during macrophage activation and somatic cell reprogramming.