The differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into bone or fat cells depends on chemical and mechanical signals. In each of the following conditions, indicate whether you would expect the stromal cells to differentiate into bone (B) or fat (F) cells. Your answer would be a three-letter string composed of letters B and F only, e.g. FBB.
( ) The cells are embedded in a stiff hydrogel.
( ) The cells are embedded in a soft hydrogel.
( ) The cells are treated with a Rho inhibitor. The monomeric GTPase Rho is required for the assembly of actin stress fibers and actin-myosin bundles.

Question

The differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into bone or fat cells depends on chemical and mechanical signals. In each of the following conditions, indicate whether you would expect the stromal cells to differentiate into bone (B) or fat (F) cells. Your answer would be a three-letter string composed of letters B and F only, e.g. FBB.
( )	The cells are embedded in a stiff hydrogel.
( )	The cells are embedded in a soft hydrogel.
( )	The cells are treated with a Rho inhibitor. The monomeric GTPase Rho is required for the assembly of actin stress fibers and actin-myosin bundles.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

F
F
 Differentiation into fat cells (in a soft matrix) or bone cells (in a stiff matrix) depends on a tension-sensing mechanism that is mediated by actin-myosin bundles.

The Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells into Bone or Fat