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Physico-Chemical Properties of the Stem Cell Niche

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Regenerative Medicine: Laboratory to Clinic

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Abstract

It has been unequivocally demonstrated that cell-extrinsic agents play important roles in stem cell fate decisions, along with their intrinsic genetic makeup. There have been quite extensive studies on soluble factors which are found essentially in the extracellular matrix, in the case of adult as well as embryonic stem cells. Recent work has begun to elucidate that in addition to these biochemical signals from coordinated interactions with soluble factors as well as the extracellular matrix (ECM) and neighbouring cells, mechanical factors affect the stem cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation. Surface adhesion receptors mediate the cell adhesion to the ECM and to adjacent cells, e.g. integrins and cadherins, respectively. Matrix stiffness, elasticity and mechanical stress constitute the physical properties of the stem cell niche, which can regulate the function of stem cells. Architecture of the niche wherein the stem cells reside is regulated by biochemical and physicochemical attributes that integrate with the mechanical cues to create a microenvironment for the proliferation and nourishment of stem cells. Engineering the scaffold and biomimetic matrices for culturing stem cells therefore is the next step in advanced stem cell research. This together with the spatiotemporal insights into the regulation of stem cell function is dealt with in this chapter.

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Abbreviations

AGM:

Aorta-gonad-mesonephros

CFU-F:

Colony-forming units-fibroblasts

EBL:

Electron beam lithography

ESCs:

Embryonic Stem cells

ICM:

Inner cell mass

NMM II:

Nonmuscle myosin II

OCN:

Osteocalcin

OPN:

Osteopontin

PDMS:

Polydimethylsiloxane

PEGDA:

Polyethylene glycol diacrylate

TE:

Trophectoderm

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Indian Institute of Science Education Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Blood and Stem Cell Lab, School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Computer Science Building, CET Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

    Navya Nagananda, Anjoom M. Ali, Irene Mariam Roy & Satish Khurana Ph.D.

  2. Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Catherine M. Verfaillie

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  1. Navya Nagananda
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  2. Anjoom M. Ali
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  3. Irene Mariam Roy
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  4. Catherine M. Verfaillie
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  5. Satish Khurana Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Satish Khurana Ph.D. .

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  1. Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India

    Asok Mukhopadhyay

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Nagananda, N., Ali, A.M., Roy, I.M., Verfaillie, C.M., Khurana, S. (2017). Physico-Chemical Properties of the Stem Cell Niche. In: Mukhopadhyay, A. (eds) Regenerative Medicine: Laboratory to Clinic. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3701-6_4

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