( Researchers at the University of Pennsy...)Adult stem cells are sensitive to responses from the environment,Health

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have disclosed that a specific variety of adult stem cell is capable of changing into bone, muscle, neurons or other// types of tissue depending on the response from the physical environment.

The researchers found that mesenchymal stem cells, which are commonly found in the bone marrow, are soliciting tangible clues from their local environment, allowing a transformation into different types of tissue. The researchers were also able to drive the stem cells according to requirement by simply altering the tenacity of the gel on which they were cultivated.

The researchers believe that their findings, which appear in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal Cell, could change the way in which people work with stem cells.

"Basically, mesenchymal stem cells feel where they're at and become what they feel," said Dennis Discher, a professor in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The results begin to establish a physical basis for both stem-cell use against diseases and for stem-cell behavior in embryonic development,"

Much of the work in stem-cell science has involved the study of the chemical microenvironment, the soup of chemical messenger signals that are generally thought to guide stem cells through the process of differentiation, where relatively "blank" stem cells turn into specific cell types. For the first time, the Penn researchers have proven that the physical microenvironment is also crucial for guiding the cells through differentiation. According to Adam Engler, the first author on the study and a graduate student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, soft microenvironments, that mimic the brain, guide the cells toward becoming neurons, stiffer microenvironments, that mimic muscle, guide the cells toward becoming muscle cells and comparatively rigid microenvironments guide the cells toward becoming bone.

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