Abstract
As regarding cellular differentiation, it has been found that elasticity of extracellular matrix determines differentiation lineage of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The direct quantitative measurement of the mechanical interaction between the MSC and the matrix for differentiation, however, has not been performed. In the present work, the displacement field of the cell-adhesive matrix was observed quantitatively using digital volume correlation (DVC) method. In practice, the maximum displacement and cellular traction stress were analyzed when the MSC differentiated into neuron or osteoblast on the soft or hard elastic matrix, respectively. Then, function of non-muscle myosin II (NMM II), which plays an important role in intracellular cytoskeletal dynamics, was investigated in cellular differentiation. As a result, the mechanical interaction (maximum displacement, subjected area of the matrix, and traction stress) between the cell and the matrix was dependent upon the elasticity of the matrix. Additionally, it has been shown that mechanical interaction between intracellular cytoskeleton and cell-adhesion matrix is indispensable for cellular differentiation.
