Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered how the sponginess and stickiness of stem cell nuclei manages how they “separate” into specialized cells. The movement of a small, inert bead inside the cell nucleus at different stages of the differentiation process. A group led by Associate Professor Hiromi Miyoshi of Tokyo Metropolitan University have actually been looking at the nuclei of human mesenchymal stem cells, a type of cell that can grow (or “differentiate”) into a broad range of cell types, consisting of muscle, cartilage, fat, and bone. They focused their attention on nuclei as they separated into osteoblasts (bone cells). As the cells became more distinguished and specialized, the group found that the nuclei became less strong, and more liquid-like.
Moving transmission of physical stimuli plays essential role in cell distinction.
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found how the sponginess and stickiness of stem cell nuclei manages how they “differentiate” into specialized cells. They discovered that the nucleus begins solid-like however ends up being more fluid-like with time. Less force is transmitted to its inner parts, leaving cells to devote to a particular differentiation path. How stem cells keep and choose to distinction courses continues to be an essential concern for medical science.
The motion of a tiny, inert bead inside the cell nucleus at different phases of the distinction process. It is clear that the bead is more mobile after a few days. Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Much of our understanding of biological products and living systems is a biochemical one, a complex patchwork of paths connecting a vast range of intricate chemicals. Complex mixes such as the interior of a cell have both a spongy, solid-like character (elasticity) and a sticky, liquid-like character (viscosity), summing to a more complete description of how materials respond to forces.
Storage and loss moduli change as the cell differentiates. Analytical significance of differences is shown in the table (more stars means a higher probability that there has actually been a modification). Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
The same applies not only to cells but the things they are made of. A group led by Associate Professor Hiromi Miyoshi of Tokyo Metropolitan University have been looking at the nuclei of human mesenchymal stem cells, a type of cell that can grow (or “separate”) into a wide variety of cell types, consisting of muscle, fat, bone, and cartilage. They focused their attention on nuclei as they differentiated into osteoblasts (bone cells).
As the cells ended up being more separated and specialized, the group found that the nuclei ended up being less solid, and more liquid-like. When a strong ball of matter is poked, the force is transmitted directly to its core. This is not the case when it is more viscous than flexible. As it becomes more fluid-like, the nucleus becomes less vulnerable to external forces as it differentiates, devoting more and more to the differentiation path it has actually selected, a balance between what is called plasticity (responsiveness to change) and homeostasis (resistance to change). Taking a look at the distribution of DNA in the nucleus, they discovered that much of the modification in the viscoelastic nature of the nuclei is to do with the aggregation of chromatin, multi-component structures made from DNA and proteins.
For a long time, it was thought that the aggregation of chromatin had whatever to do with the suppression of particular genes. The DNA in chromatin is the instruction booklet for the synthesis of proteins; condensation of chromatin resembles sticking pages together to make them unreadable. Now, the teams findings show that it also serves an entirely different function, cautious tuning how responsive the nucleus is to external forces, particularly in making sure that it can devote to a certain distinction course. Their findings are a turning point in comprehending the detailed functions of a remarkable system which underpins the advancement of much of the human body.
Reference: “Intranuclear mesoscale viscoelastic modifications during osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells” by Kojiro Matsushita, Chiharu Nakahara, Shun Kimura, Naoya Sakamoto, Satoshi Ii and Hiromi Miyoshi, 25 November 2021, The FASEB Journal.DOI: 10.1096/ fj.202100536 RR.
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18H03521, AMED PRIME (18gm5810012h9904), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Advanced Research Grant Number R2-2, and a Grant-in-Aid for Research from the Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University.
