Unidirectional rotating molecular motors dynamically interact with adsorbed proteins to direct the fate of mesenchymal stem cells
Year: 2020
Journal: Sci. Adv., Volume 6, JAN
Authors: Zhou, Qihui; Chen, Jiawen; Luan, Yafei; Vainikka, Petteri A.; Thallmair, Sebastian; Marrink, Siewert J.; Feringa, Ben L.; van Rijn, Patrick
Artificial rotary molecular motors convert energy into controlled motion and drive a system out of equilibrium with molecular precision. The molecular motion is harnessed to mediate the adsorbed protein layer and then ultimately to direct the fate of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSC5). When influenced by the rotary motion of light-driven molecular motors grafted on surfaces, the adsorbed protein layer primes hBM-MSCs to differentiate into osteoblasts, while without rotation, multipotency is better maintained. We have shown that the signaling effects of the molecular motion are mediated by the adsorbed cell-instructing protein layer, influencing the focal adhesion-cytoskeleton actin transduction pathway and regulating the protein and gene expression of hBM-MSCs. This unique molecular-based platform paves the way for implementation of dynamic interfaces for stem cell control and provides an opportunity for novel dynamic biomaterial engineering for applications.
