Early morphological and gene/protein expression dynamics of human synovial mesenchymal stem cells during adhesion to a damaged meniscal surface
- 1Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Science Tokyo
- 2Ochanomizu Research Facility (ORF), Institute of Science Tokyo
- 3Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo
Abstract
Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a potential therapeutic option for meniscal injuries; however, the early cellular events following MSC application remain obscure. This study aimed to characterize the morphological and molecular changes occurring during the first 24 h after application of human synovial MSCs onto a structurally disrupted meniscal surface. MSCs were seeded onto a frozen-thawed, mechanically abraded meniscal surface under non-inflammatory conditions, and MSC morphology and gene/protein expression were evaluated before adhesion and at 1 h and 24 h after seeding. Scanning electron microscopy revealed MSCs with a round morphology and pseudopodia at 1 h, but flattened cells and multilayer formation at 24 h. MSCs attaching to nonbiological substrates showed similar time-dependent morphological changes. Gene expression analysis demonstrated time-dependent changes in CD44, BMP2, PRG4, TIMP1, TSG6, and integrin-related genes, including increased ITGA2 expression and decreased ITGA11 and ITGA4 expression at 24 h. Immunofluorescence staining detected these proteins before and after adhesion. These findings indicate that synovial MSCs undergo rapid morphological and transcriptional changes during early adhesion. Although these changes may partly reflect general adhesion-related processes, the results provide a descriptive framework for understanding the early behavior of MSCs upon application to a structurally disrupted, devitalized meniscal matrix surface.
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BibTeX
@article{meguro2026early,
title = {{Early morphological and gene/protein expression dynamics of human synovial mesenchymal stem cells during adhesion to a damaged meniscal surface}},
author = {Tomoko Meguro and Kentaro Endo and Nobutake Ozeki and Yuriko Sakamaki and Yusuke Nakagawa and Hideyuki Koga and Ichiro Sekiya},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-62951-z},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62951-z},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Early morphological and gene/protein expression dynamics of human synovial mesenchymal stem cells during adhesion to a damaged meniscal surface
AU - Tomoko Meguro
AU - Kentaro Endo
AU - Nobutake Ozeki
AU - Yuriko Sakamaki
AU - Yusuke Nakagawa
AU - Hideyuki Koga
AU - Ichiro Sekiya
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-62951-z
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62951-z
AB - Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a potential therapeutic option for meniscal injuries; however, the early cellular events following MSC application remain obscure. This study aimed to characterize the morphological and molecular changes occurring during the first 24 h after application of human synovial MSCs onto a structurally disrupted meniscal surface. MSCs were seeded onto a frozen-thawed, mechanically abraded meniscal surface under non-inflammatory conditions, and MSC morphology and gene/protein expression were evaluated before adhesion and at 1 h and 24 h after seeding. Scanning electron microscopy revealed MSCs with a round morphology and pseudopodia at 1 h, but flattened cells and multilayer formation at 24 h. MSCs attaching to nonbiological substrates showed similar time-dependent morphological changes. Gene expression analysis demonstrated time-dependent changes in CD44, BMP2, PRG4, TIMP1, TSG6, and integrin-related genes, including increased ITGA2 expression and decreased ITGA11 and ITGA4 expression at 24 h. Immunofluorescence staining detected these proteins before and after adhesion. These findings indicate that synovial MSCs undergo rapid morphological and transcriptional changes during early adhesion. Although these changes may partly reflect general adhesion-related processes, the results provide a descriptive framework for understanding the early behavior of MSCs upon application to a structurally disrupted, devitalized meniscal matrix surface.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -