High Throughput Mechanobiological Screens Enable Mechanical Priming of Pluripotency in Mouse Fibroblasts

Abstract

Transgenic methods for direct reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are effective in cell culture systems but ultimately limit the utility of iPSCs due to concerns of mutagenesis and tumor formation. Recent studies have suggested that some transgenes can be eliminated by using small molecules as an alternative to transgenic methods of iPSC generation. We developed a high throughput platform for applying complex dynamic mechanical forces to cultured cells. Using this system, we screened for optimized conditions to stimulate the activation of Oct-4 and other transcription factors to prime the development of pluripotency in mouse fibroblasts. Using high throughput mechanobiological screening assays, we identified small molecules that can synergistically enhance the priming of pluripotency of mouse fibroblasts in combination with mechanical loading. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the ability of mechanical forces to induce reprograming factors and support that biophysical conditioning can act cooperatively with small molecules to priming the induction pluripotency in somatic cells.