Fate decision of mesenchymal stem cells: adipocytes or osteoblasts?

• Published in: Cell death and differentiation Vol. 23; no. 7; pp. 1128 - 1139
• Main Authors: Chen, Q, Shou, P, Zheng, C, Jiang, M, Cao, G, Yang, Q, Cao, J, Xie, N, Velletri, T, Zhang, X, Xu, C, Zhang, L, Yang, H, Hou, J, Wang, Y, Shi, Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/80/79/750; Adipocytes; Adipocytes - cytology; Adipocytes - metabolism; Aging; Animals; Apoptosis; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bone marrow; Cell Biology; Cell Cycle Analysis; Cell death; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cloning; Dexamethasone - pharmacology; Fibroblasts; Growth factors; Health sciences; Humans; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - cytology; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - metabolism; MicroRNAs - metabolism; Osteoblasts - cytology; Osteoblasts - metabolism; Osteoporosis; Review; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Stem Cells; United States > US; China
• ISSN: 1350-9047; 1476-5403
• DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2015.168

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a non-hematopoietic stem cell population first discovered in bone marrow, are multipotent cells capable of differentiating into mature cells of several mesenchymal tissues, such as fat and bone. As common progenitor cells of adipocytes and osteoblasts, MSCs are delicately balanced for their differentiation commitment. Numerous in vitro investigations have demonstrated that fat-induction factors inhibit osteogenesis, and, conversely, bone-induction factors hinder adipogenesis. In fact, a variety of external cues contribute to the delicate balance of adipo-osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, including chemical, physical, and biological factors. These factors trigger different signaling pathways and activate various transcription factors that guide MSCs to commit to either lineage. The dysregulation of the adipo-osteogenic balance has been linked to several pathophysiologic processes, such as aging, obesity, osteopenia, osteopetrosis, and osteoporosis. Thus, the regulation of MSC differentiation has increasingly attracted great attention in recent years. Here, we review external factors and their signaling processes dictating the reciprocal regulation between adipocytes and osteoblasts during MSC differentiation and the ultimate control of the adipo-osteogenic balance.