Hydrogel platform facilitating astrocytic differentiation through cell mechanosensing and YAP-mediated transcription.

ABSTRACT: Astrocytes are multifunctional glial cells that are essential for brain functioning. Most existing methods to induce astrocytes from stem cells are inefficient, requiring couples of weeks. Here, we designed an alginate hydrogel-based method to realize high-efficiency astrocytic differentiation from human neural stem cells. Comparing to the conventional tissue culture materials, the hydrogel drastically promoted astrocytic differentiation within three days. We investigated the regulatory mechanism underlying the enhanced differentiation, and found that the stretch-activated ion channels and Yes-associated protein (YAP), a mechanosensitive transcription coactivator, were both indispensable. In particular, the Piezo1 Ca²⁺ channel, but not transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (T

SUBMITTER: Liu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10413151 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature