Mechano growth factor E peptide promotes rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell migration through CXCR4-ERK1/2.

MGF-25E promotes the migration of rat mesenchymal stem cells by activating the CXCR4-ERK1/2 signaling pathway, but the implications for human therapy remain unclear.

Summary and findings

This study investigated the effects of Mechano Growth Factor E (MGF-E) on the migration of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs). The research focused on the modulation of the CXCR4-ERK1/2 signaling pathway and its impact on the mechanical properties of rMSCs. MGF-25E was found to increase stiffness and F-actin polymerization in rMSCs.

Abstract

Mechano growth factor (MGF) is a splicing variant of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The unique C-terminal E domain of MGF (MGF-E) makes it distinct from the other variants of IGF-1. Our previous work demonstrated that MGF-25E induces the migration of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) by altering their mechanical properties, which is accompanied by the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway. However, the relationship between ERK1/2 activation and the change in mechanical properties has not been illustrated. In the present study, we determined that MGF-25E induced the migration of rMSCs by modulating CXCR4 to activate the ERK1/2 pathway. The analysis of the Young's modulus and F-actin remodeling indicated that MGF-25E increased the stiffness and the F-actin polymerization of rMSCs through the activation of the CXCR4-ERK1/2 pathway. For the first time, this study clarified the signaling pathway that regulates the mechanical properties of rMSCs and is responsible for MGF-25E-promoted migration.

Key findings

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Limitations

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Elsewhere in the MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) corpus