Figure 2

Substrate rigidity regulates muscle stem cell self-renewal in culture. A biomimetic biomaterials approach in conjunction with functional assays in mice demonstrated that muscle stem cell (MuSC) self-renewal can be maintained in culture if cells are propagated upon a substrate that recapitulates the mechanical properties of the native skeletal muscle tissue, a physical property of the stem cell niche [9]. Pliant culture substrates enabled propagation of additional Pax7 (green) expressing MuSCs and improved survival (middle), while culture on softer (left) or stiffer (right) matrices decreased cell survival (gray) and promoted differentiation. Image is courtesy of Stephane Corbel, Blau Laboratory.