Rapid Growth of Cartilage Rudiments may Generate Perichondrial Structures by Mechanical Induction

Modeling vascular dynamics at the initial stage of endochondral ossification on a microfluidic chip using a human embryonic-stem-cell-derived organoid

Vascular interactions play a crucial role in embryogenesis, including skeletal development. During endochondral ossification, vascular networks are formed as mesenchymal cells condense and later invade skeletal elements to form the bone marrow. We and other groups developed a model of endochondral ossification by implanting human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived sclerotome into immunodeficient mice. However, in vitro models of endochondral ossification, particularly vascular interaction with mesenchymal cells at its initial stage, are yet to be established. Therefore, we developed a method to model the initial stage of endochondral ossification using a microfluidic chip-based platform, with a particular focus on the vascular interaction. On the chip, we found that the fibrin gel helped align mCherry-expressing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) better than the collagen-I gel, suggesting that the fibrin gel is more suitable for the formation of a vascular-like network. The perfusability of the vascular-like networks was partially confirmed using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran and fluorescent microbeads. We then mixed hESC-derived sclerotome with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing HUVECs and applied this mixture on the chip. We named this mixture of cells SH organoids. The SH organoids showed superior abilities to maintain the vascular-like network, which was formed by the mCherry-expressing HUVECs, compared with the sclerotome spheroids on the chip. The EGFP-expressing HUVECs migrated from the SH organoid, formed a vascular-like networks, and partially interacted with the mCherry-expressing vascular-like networks on the chip. Histological analysis showed that SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) and type I collagen were expressed mutually exclusively in the condensed mesenchymal cells and perichondrial-like cells, respectively. This study demonstrates that our SH organoid-on-a-chip method reproduces vascular networks that are formed at the initial stage of endochondral ossification. This model may provide insights into human endochondral ossification and has potential applications in bone disease modeling and drug screening.

The cellular basis of cartilage growth and shape change in larval and metamorphosing Xenopus frogs

As the first and sometimes only skeletal tissue to appear, cartilage plays a fundamental role in the development and evolution of vertebrate body shapes. This is especially true for amphibians whose largely cartilaginous feeding skeleton exhibits unparalleled ontogenetic and phylogenetic diversification as a consequence of metamorphosis. Fully understanding the evolutionary history, evolvability and regenerative potential of cartilage requires in-depth analysis of how chondrocytes drive growth and shape change. This study is a cell-level description of the larval growth and postembryonic shape change of major cartilages of the feeding skeleton of a metamorphosing amphibian. Histology and immunohistochemistry are used to describe and quantify patterns and trends in chondrocyte size, shape, division, death, and arrangement, and in percent matrix from hatchling to froglet for the lower jaw, hyoid and branchial arch cartilages of Xenopus laevis. The results are interpreted and integrated into programs of cell behaviors that account for the larval growth and histology, and metamorphic remodeling of each element. These programs provide a baseline for investigating hormone-mediated remodeling, cartilage regeneration, and intrinsic shape regulating mechanisms. These programs also contain four features not previously described in vertebrates: hypertrophied chondrocytes being rejuvenated by rapid cell cycling to a prechondrogenic size and shape; chondrocytes dividing and rearranging to reshape a cartilage; cartilage that lacks a perichondrium and grows at single-cell dimensions; and an adult cartilage forming de novo in the center of a resorbing larval one. Also, the unexpected superimposition of cell behaviors for shape change onto ones for larval growth and the unprecedented exploitation of very large and small cell sizes provide new directions for investigating the development and evolution of skeletal shape and metamorphic ontogenies.

Prx1-Expressing Progenitor Primary Cilia Mediate Bone Formation in response to Mechanical Loading in Mice

Increases in mechanical loading can enhance the addition of new bone, altering geometry and density such that bones better withstand higher forces. Bone-forming osteoblasts have long been thought to originate from progenitors, but the exact source is yet to be identified. Previous studies indicate osteogenic precursors arise from Prx1-expressing progenitors during embryonic development and adult fracture repair. However, it is unknown whether this cell population is also a source for mechanically induced active osteoblasts. We first identified that Prx1 is expressed in skeletally mature mouse periosteum, a thin tissue covering the surface of the bone that is rich in osteoprogenitors. We then traced Prx1 progenitor lineage using a transgenic mouse model carrying both a Prx1-driven tamoxifen-inducible Cre and a ROSA-driven lacZ reporter gene. Cells that expressed Prx1 when compressive axial loading was applied were detected within the cortical bone days after stimulation, indicating osteocytes are of Prx1-expressing cell origin. In addition, we evaluated how these cells sense and respond to physical stimulation in vivo by disrupting their primary cilia, which are antenna-like sensory organelles known to enhance mechanical and chemical signaling kinetics. Although Prx1-driven primary cilium disruption did not affect osteoblast recruitment to the bone surface, the relative mineral apposition and bone formation rates were decreased by 53% and 34%, respectively. Thus, this cell population contributes to load-induced bone formation, and primary cilia are needed for a complete response. Interestingly, Prx1-expressing progenitors are easily extracted from periosteum and are perhaps an attractive alternative to marrow stem cells for bone tissue regeneration strategies.

Linking suckling biomechanics to the development of the palate

Skulls are amongst the most informative documents of evolutionary history but a complex geometry, coupled with composite material properties and complicated biomechanics, have made it particularly challenging to identify mechanical principles guiding the skull’s morphogenesis. Despite this challenge, multiple lines of evidence, for example the relationship between masticatory function and the evolution of jaw shape, nonetheless suggest that mechanobiology plays a major role in skull morphogenesis. To begin to tackle this persistent challenge, cellular, molecular and tissue-level analyses of the developing mouse palate were coupled with finite element modeling to demonstrate that patterns of strain created by mammalian-specific oral behaviors produce complementary patterns of chondrogenic gene expression in an initially homogeneous population of cranial neural crest cells. Neural crest cells change from an osteogenic to a chondrogenic fate, leading to the materialization of cartilaginous growth plate-like structures in the palatal midline. These growth plates contribute to lateral expansion of the head but are transient structures; when the strain patterns associated with suckling dissipate at weaning, the growth plates disappear and the palate ossifies. Thus, mechanical cues such as strain appear to co-regulate cell fate specification and ultimately, help drive large-scale morphogenetic changes in head shape.

Automated, contour-based tracking and analysis of cell behaviour over long time scales in environments of varying complexity and cell density

Understanding single and collective cell motility in model environments is foundational to many current research efforts in biology and bioengineering. To elucidate subtle differences in cell behaviour despite cell-to-cell variability, we introduce an algorithm for tracking large numbers of cells for long time periods and present a set of physics-based metrics that quantify differences in cell trajectories. Our algorithm, termed automated contour-based tracking for in vitro environments (ACTIVE), was designed for adherent cell populations subject to nuclear staining or transfection. ACTIVE is distinct from existing tracking software because it accommodates both variability in image intensity and multi-cell interactions, such as divisions and occlusions. When applied to low-contrast images from live-cell experiments, ACTIVE reduced error in analysing cell occlusion events by as much as 43% compared with a benchmark-tracking program while simultaneously tracking cell divisions and resulting daughter-daughter cell relationships. The large dataset generated by ACTIVE allowed us to develop metrics that capture subtle differences between cell trajectories on different substrates. We present cell motility data for thousands of cells studied at varying densities on shape-memory-polymer-based nanotopographies and identify several quantitative differences, including an unanticipated difference between two 'control' substrates. We expect that ACTIVE will be immediately useful to researchers who require accurate, long-time-scale motility data for many cells.

Molecular mechanisms underlying skeletal growth arrest by cutaneous scarring

In pediatric surgeries, cutaneous scarring is frequently accompanied by an arrest in skeletal growth. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are not understood. Here, we investigated the relationship between scar contracture and osteogenesis. An excisional cutaneous wound was made on the tail of neonatal mice. Finite element (FE) modeling of the wound site was used to predict the distribution and magnitude of contractile forces within soft and hard tissues. Morphogenesis of the bony vertebrae was monitored by micro-CT analyses, and vertebral growth plates were interrogated throughout the healing period using assays for cell proliferation, death, differentiation, as well as matrix deposition and remodeling. Wound contracture was grossly evident on post-injury day 7 and accompanying it was a significant shortening in the tail. FE modeling indicated high compressive strains localized to the dorsal portions of the vertebral growth plates and intervertebral disks. These predicted strain distributions corresponded to sites of increased cell death, a cessation in cell proliferation, and a loss in mineralization within the growth plates and IVD. Although cutaneous contracture resolved and skeletal growth rates returned to normal, vertebrae under the cutaneous wound remained significantly shorter than controls. Thus, localized contractile forces generated by scarring led to spatial alterations in cell proliferation, death, and differentiation that inhibited bone growth in a location-dependent manner. Resolution of cutaneous scarring was not accompanied by compensatory bone growth, which left the bony elements permanently truncated. Therefore, targeting early scar reduction is critical to preserving pediatric bone growth after surgery.

Micromotion-induced strain fields influence early stages of repair at bone-implant interfaces

Implant loading can create micromotion at the bone-implant interface. The interfacial strain associated with implant micromotion could contribute to regulating the tissue healing response. Excessive micromotion can lead to fibrous encapsulation and implant loosening. Our objective was to characterize the influence of interfacial strain on bone regeneration around implants in mouse tibiae. A micromotion system was used to create strain under conditions of (1) no initial contact between implant and bone and (2) direct bone-implant contact. Pin- and screw-shaped implants were subjected to displacements of 150 or 300 μm for 60 cycles per day for 7 days. Pin-shaped implants placed in five animals were subjected to three sessions of 150 μm displacement per day, with 60 cycles per session. Control implants in both types of interfaces were stabilized throughout the healing period. Experimental strain analyses, microtomography, image-based displacement mapping, and finite element simulations were used to characterize interfacial strain fields. Calcified tissue sections were prepared and Goldner trichrome stained to evaluate the tissue reactions in higher and lower strain regions. In stable implants bone formation occurred consistently around the implants. In implants subjected to micromotion bone regeneration was disrupted in areas of high strain concentrations (e.g. >30%), whereas lower strain values were permissive of bone formation. Increasing implant displacement or number of cycles per day also changed the strain distribution and disturbed bone healing. These results indicate that not only implant micromotion but also the associated interfacial strain field contributes to regulating the interfacial mechanobiology at healing bone-implant interfaces.

On the evolution of morphogenetic models: mechano-chemical interactions and an integrated view of cell differentiation, growth, pattern formation and morphogenesis

In the 1950s, embryology was conceptualized as four relatively independent problems: cell differentiation, growth, pattern formation and morphogenesis. The mechanisms underlying the first three traditionally have been viewed as being chemical in nature, whereas those underlying morphogenesis have usually been discussed in terms of mechanics. Often, morphogenesis and its mechanical processes have been regarded as subordinate to chemical ones. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that the biomechanics of cells and tissues affect in striking ways those phenomena often thought of as mainly under the control of cell-cell signalling. This accumulation of data has led to a revival of the mechano-transduction concept in particular, and of complexity in general, causing us now to consider whether we should retain the traditional conceptualization of development. The researchers' semantic preferences for the terms 'patterning', 'pattern formation' or 'morphogenesis' can be used to describe three main 'schools of thought' which emerged in the late 1970s. In the 'molecular school', the term patterning is deeply tied to the positional information concept. In the 'chemical school', the term 'pattern formation' regularly implies reaction-diffusion models. In the 'mechanical school', the term 'morphogenesis' is more frequently used in relation to mechanical instabilities. Major differences among these three schools pertain to the concept of self-organization, and models can be classified as morphostatic or morphodynamic. Various examples illustrate the distorted picture that arises from the distinction among differentiation, growth, pattern formation and morphogenesis, based on the idea that the underlying mechanisms are respectively chemical or mechanical. Emerging quantitative approaches integrate the concepts and methods of complex sciences and emphasize the interplay between hierarchical levels of organization via mechano-chemical interactions. They draw upon recent improvements in mathematical and numerical morphogenetic models and upon considerable progress in collecting new quantitative data. This review highlights a variety of such models, which exhibit important advances, such as hybrid, stochastic and multiscale simulations.

The effects of mechanical loading on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and matrix production

Mesenchymal stem cells or stromal cells (MSCs) have the potential to be used therapeutically in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to replace or restore the function of damaged tissues. Therefore, considerable effort has been ongoing in the research community to optimize culture conditions for predifferentiation of MSCs. All mesenchymal tissues are subjected to mechanical forces in vivo and all fully differentiated mesenchymal lineage cells respond to mechanical stimulation in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, it is not surprising that MSCs are highly mechanosensitive. We present a summary of current methods of mechanical stimulation of MSCs and an overview of the outcomes of the different mechanical culture techniques tested. Tissue engineers and stem cell researchers should be able to harness this mechanosensitivity to modulate MSC differentiation and matrix production; however, more research needs to be undertaken to understand the complex interactions between the mechanosensitive and biochemically stimulated differentiation pathways.

Identification of mechanosensitive genes during embryonic bone formation

Although it is known that mechanical forces are needed for normal bone development, the current understanding of how biophysical stimuli are interpreted by and integrated with genetic regulatory mechanisms is limited. Mechanical forces are thought to be mediated in cells by “mechanosensitive” genes, but it is a challenge to demonstrate that the genetic regulation of the biological system is dependant on particular mechanical forces in vivo. We propose a new means of selecting candidate mechanosensitive genes by comparing in vivo gene expression patterns with patterns of biophysical stimuli, computed using finite element analysis. In this study, finite element analyses of the avian embryonic limb were performed using anatomically realistic rudiment and muscle morphologies, and patterns of biophysical stimuli were compared with the expression patterns of four candidate mechanosensitive genes integral to bone development. The expression patterns of two genes, Collagen X (ColX) and Indian hedgehog (Ihh), were shown to colocalise with biophysical stimuli induced by embryonic muscle contractions, identifying them as potentially being involved in the mechanoregulation of bone formation. An altered mechanical environment was induced in the embryonic chick, where a neuromuscular blocking agent was administered in ovo to modify skeletal muscle contractions. Finite element analyses predicted dramatic changes in levels and patterns of biophysical stimuli, and a number of immobilised specimens exhibited differences in ColX and Ihh expression. The results obtained indicate that computationally derived patterns of biophysical stimuli can be used to inform a directed search for genes that may play a mechanoregulatory role in particular in vivo events or processes. Furthermore, the experimental data demonstrate that ColX and Ihh are involved in mechanoregulatory pathways and may be key mediators in translating information from the mechanical environment to the molecular regulation of bone formation in the embryo.

While mechanical forces are known to be critical to adult bone maintenance and repair, the importance of mechanobiology in embryonic bone formation is less widely accepted. The influence of mechanical forces on cells is thought to be mediated by “mechanosensitive genes,” genes which respond to mechanical stimulation. In this research, we examined the situation in the developing embryo. Using finite element analysis, we simulated the biophysical stimuli in the developing bone resulting from spontaneous muscle contractions, incorporating detailed morphology of the developing chick limb. We compared patterns of stimuli with expression patterns of a number of genes involved in bone formation and demonstrated a clear colocalisation in the case of two genes (Ihh and ColX). We then altered the mechanical environment of the growing chick embryo by blocking muscle contractions and demonstrated changes in the magnitudes and patterns of biophysical stimuli and in the expression patterns of both Ihh and ColX. We have demonstrated the value of combining computational techniques with in vivo gene expression analysis to identify genes that may play a mechanoregulatory role and have identified genes that respond to mechanical stimulation during bone formation in vivo.

Mechanical modulation of osteochondroprogenitor cell fate

Mesenchymal cells are natural tissue builders. They exhibit an extraordinary capacity to metamorphize into differentiated cells, using extrinsic spatial and temporal inputs and intrinsic algorithms, as well as to build and adapt their own habitat. In addition to providing a habitat for osteoprogenitor cells, tissues of the skeletal system provide mechanical support and protection for the multiple organs of vertebrate organisms. This review examines the role of mechanics on determination of cell fate during pre-, peri- and postnatal development of the skeleton as well as during tissue genesis and repair in postnatal life. The role of cell mechanics is examined and brought into context of intrinsic cues during mesenchymal condensation. Remarkable new insights regarding structure function relationships in mesenchymal stem cells, and their influence on determination of cell fate are integrated in the context of de novo tissue generation and postnatal repair. Key differences in the formation of osteogenic and chondrogenic condensations are discussed in relation to direct intramembranous and indirect endochondral ossification. New approaches are discussed to elucidate and exploit extrinsic cues to generate tissues in the laboratory and in the clinic.

Design of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds as Delivery Devices for Mechanical and Mechanically Modulated Signals

New approaches to tissue engineering aim to exploit endogenous strategies such as those occurring in prenatal development and recapitulated during postnatal healing. Defining tissue template specifications to mimic the environment of the condensed mesenchyme during development allows for exploitation of tissue scaffolds as delivery devices for extrinsic cues, including biochemical and mechanical signals, to drive the fate of mesenchymal stem cells seeded within. Although a variety of biochemical signals that modulate stem cell fate have been identified, the mechanical signals conducive to guiding pluripotent cells toward specific lineages are less well characterized. Furthermore, not only is spatial and temporal control of mechanical stimuli to cells challenging, but also tissue template geometries vary with time due to tissue ingrowth and/or scaffold degradation. Hence, a case study was carried out to analyze flow regimes in a testbed scaffold as a first step toward optimizing scaffold architecture. A pressure gradient was applied to produce local (nm-micron) flow fields conducive to migration, adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of cells seeded within, as well as global flow parameters (micron-mm), including flow velocity and permeability, to enhance directed cell infiltration and augment mass transport. Iterative occlusion of flow channel dimensions was carried out to predict virtually the effect of temporal geometric variation (e.g., due to tissue development and growth) on delivery of local and global mechanical signals. Thereafter, insights from the case study were generalized to present an optimization scheme for future development of scaffolds to be implemented in vitro or in vivo. Although it is likely that manufacture and testing will be required to finalize design specifications, it is expected that the use of the rational design optimization will reduce the number of iterations required to determine final prototype geometries and flow conditions. As the range of mechanical signals conducive to guiding cell fate in situ is further elucidated, these refined design criteria can be integrated into the general optimization rubric, providing a technological platform to exploit nature's endogenous tissue engineering strategies for targeted tissue generation in the lab or the clinic.

Effect of mechanical stimuli on skeletal regeneration around implants

Due to the aging population and the increasing need for total joint replacements, osseointegration is of a great interest for various clinical disciplines. Our objective was to investigate the molecular and cellular foundation that underlies this process. Here, we used an in vivo mouse model to study the cellular and molecular response in three distinct areas of unloaded implants: the periosteum, the gap between implant and cortical bone, and the marrow space. Our analyses began with the early phases of healing, and continued until the implants were completely osseointegrated. We investigated aspects of osseointegration ranging from vascularization, cell proliferation, differentiation, and bone remodeling. In doing so, we gained an understanding of the healing mechanisms of different skeletal tissues during unloaded implant osseointegration. To continue our analysis, we used a micromotion device to apply a defined physical stimulus to the implants, and in doing so, we dramatically enhanced bone formation in the peri-implant tissue. By comparing strain measurements with cellular and molecular analyses, we developed an understanding of the correlation between strain magnitudes and fate decisions of cells shaping the skeletal regenerate.