Microenvironmental stiffness mediates cytoskeleton re-organization in chondrocytes through laminin-FAK mechanotransduction

INTRODUCTION It is well recognized that microenvironmental mechanics mediate cell behaviors, control cell differentiation, and determine cell fate1–2. The stiffness of extracellular matrix (ECM) is one of the key microenvironmental biomechanical factors, which plays an indis-pensable role in organ development3, tissue maturation4 and disease occurrence5. Recent research progress has begun to reveal the important regulatory role of microenvironmental stiffness on cell behaviors based on different kinds of cell types. For stem cells, microenvironmental stiffness could direct the multiple differentia-tions toward osteogenesis, chondrogenesis, adipogenesis and neurogenesis of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs)2,6, adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs)7, and odontogenic stem cells8–9.