Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can give rise to several cell lineages, including osteoblasts and adipocytes, and it is known that adhesive and mechanical cues from the microenvironment control cell fate decisions. In the Journal of Cell Biology, Guo et al. now report that kindlin-2 regulates MSC differentiation through the mechanosensitive transcription co-regulators YAP1 and TAZ.

This study indicates that kindlin-2 controls MSC differentiation in response to mechanical inputs by promoting actin stress fibre formation at integrin adhesions, increasing the levels and activity of YAP1 and TAZ and osteogenesis. These findings have important medical implications as an imbalance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis is the cause of many bone diseases.

Link to the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrm.2018.21