TY - EJOU AU - Song, Guanbin AU - Luo, Qing AU - Xu, Baiyao AU - Ju, Yang TI - Mechanical Stretch-Induced Changes in Cell Morphology and mRNA Expression of Tendon/Ligament-Associated Genes in Rat Bone-Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells T2 - Molecular \& Cellular Biomechanics PY - 2010 VL - 7 IS - 3 SN - 1556-5300 AB - It has been demonstrated that mechanical stimulation plays a vital role in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. However, little is known about the effects of mechanical stress on tendon/ligament development from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Here, using a custom-made cell-stretching device, we studied the effects of mechanical stretching on the cell morphology and mRNA expression of several key genes modulating tendon/ligament genesis. We demonstrate that bone-marrow-derived rat MSCs (rMSCs), when subjected to cyclic uniaxial stretching, express obvious detectable mRNAs for tenascin C and scleraxis, a unique maker of tendon/ligament formation, and significantly increased levels of type I collagen and type III collagen mRNAs. The stretched cells also orient at approximately~65 with respect to the stretching direction and exhibit a more fibroblast-like morphology. Collectively, these results indicate that mechanical stretching facilitates the directed differentiation of rMSCs into tendon/ligament fibroblasts, which has potential implications for the tissue engineering of bioartificial tendons and ligaments. KW - Mesenchymal stem cells KW - Mechanical stretching KW - Cell morphology KW - Differentiation KW - Tendon/ligament DO - 10.3970/mcb.2010.007.165