Integrins provide the primary link between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM), with different integrin pairs having specificity for different ECM molecules or peptide sequences contained within them. It is widely acknowledged that the type of ECM present can influence MSC differentiation; however, it is yet to be determined how specific integrin-ECM interactions may alter this or how they change during differentiation. We determined that human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) express a broad range of integrins in their undifferentiated state and show a dramatic, but transient, increase in the level of α5 integrin on day 7 of osteogenesis and an increase in α6 integrin expression throughout adipogenesis. We used a nonfouling polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide)-copolymer (PS-PEO) surface to present short peptides with defined integrin-binding capabilities (RGD, IKVAV, YIGSR, and RETTAWA) to hMSCs and investigate the effects of such specific integrin-ECM contacts on differentiation. hMSCs cultured on these peptides displayed different morphologies and had varying abilities to differentiate along the osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. The peptide sequences most conducive to differentiation (IKVAV for osteogenesis and RETTAWA and IKVAV for adipogenesis) were not necessarily those that were bound by those integrin subunits seen to increase during differentiation. Additionally, we also determined that presentation of RGD, which is bound by multiple integrins, was required to support long-term viability of hMSCs. Overall we confirm that integrin-ECM contacts change throughout hMSC differentiation and show that surfaces presenting defined peptide sequences can be used to target specific integrins and ultimately influence hMSC differentiation. This platform also provides information for the development of biomaterials capable of directing hMSC differentiation for use in tissue engineering therapies.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 7. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 15 September 2026.
All research outputs
#7,307,014
of 34,400,738 outputs
Outputs from Stem Cells & Development
#545
of 2,041 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#43,714
of 208,415 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Stem Cells & Development
#10
of 32 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,400,738 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 78th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,041 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.2. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 208,415 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 78% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 32 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 68% of its contemporaries.
