Mechanical cues and substrate interaction affect the manner in which cells adhere, spread, migrate and form tissues. With increased interest in tissue-on-a-chip and co-culture systems utilizing porous membranes, it is important to understand the role of disrupted surfaces on cellular behavior. Using a transparent glass membrane with defined pore geometries, we investigated endothelial fibronectin fibrillogenesis and formation of focal adhesions as well as development of intercellular junctions. Cells formed fewer focal adhesions and had shorter fibronectin fibrils on porous membranes compared to non-porous controls, which was similar to cell behavior on continuous soft substrates with Young’s moduli seven orders of magnitude lower than glass. Additionally, porous membranes promoted enhanced cell-cell interactions as evidenced by earlier formation of tight junctions. These findings suggest that porous membranes with discontinuous surfaces promote reduced cell-matrix interactions similarly to soft substrates and may enhance tissue and barrier formation.

Delivery of biofactors in a precise and controlled fashion remains a clinical challenge. Stimuli‐responsive delivery systems can facilitate “on‐demand” release of therapeutics in response to a variety of physiologic triggering mechanisms (e.g., pH, temperature). However, few systems to date have taken advantage of mechanical inputs from the microenvironment to initiate drug release. Here, mechanically activated microcapsules (MAMCs) are designed to deliver therapeutics in response to the mechanically loaded environment of regenerating musculoskeletal tissues, with the ultimate goal of furthering tissue repair. To establish a suite of microcapsules with different thresholds for mechanoactivation, MAMC physical dimensions and composition are first manipulated, and their mechano‐response under both direct 2D compression and in 3D matrices mimicking the extracellular matrix properties and dynamic loading environment of regenerating tissue, is evaluated. To demonstrate the feasibility of this delivery system, an engineered cartilage model is used to test the efficacy of mechanically instigated release of transforming growth factor‐β3 on the chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. These data establish a novel platform by which to tune the release of therapeutics and/or regenerative factors based on the physiologic mechanical loading environment and will find widespread application in the repair and regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues.

Dense matrices impede interstitial cell migration and subsequent repair. We hypothesized that nuclear stiffness is a limiting factor in migration and posited that repair could be expedited by transiently decreasing nuclear stiffness. To test this, we interrogated the interstitial migratory capacity of adult meniscal cells through dense fibrous networks and adult tissue before and after nuclear softening via the application of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A (TSA) or knockdown of the filamentous nuclear protein Lamin A/C. Our results show that transient softening of the nucleus improves migration through microporous membranes, electrospun fibrous matrices, and tissue sections and that nuclear properties and cell function recover after treatment. We also showed that biomaterial delivery of TSA promoted in vivo cellularization of scaffolds by endogenous cells. By addressing the inherent limitations to repair imposed by nuclear stiffness, this work defines a new strategy to promote the repair of damaged dense connective tissues.

At the plasma membrane interface, cells use various adhesions to sense their extracellular environment. These adhesions facilitate the transmission of mechanical signals that dictate cell behavior. This review discusses the mechanisms by which these mechanical signals are transduced through cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesions and how this mechanotransduction influences cell processes. Cell–matrix adhesions require the activation of and communication between various transmembrane protein complexes such as integrins. These links at the plasma membrane affect how a cell senses and responds to its matrix environment. Cells also communicate with each other through cell–cell adhesions, which further regulate cell behavior on a single- and multicellular scale. Coordination and competition between cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesions in multicellular aggregates can, to a significant extent, be modeled by differential adhesion analyses between the different interfaces even without knowing the details of cellular signaling. In addition, cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesions are connected by an intracellular cytoskeletal network that allows for direct communication between these distinct adhesions and activation of specific signaling pathways. Other membrane-embedded protein complexes, such as growth factor receptors and ion channels, play additional roles in mechanotransduction. Overall, these mechanoactive elements show the dynamic interplay between the cell, its matrix, and neighboring cells and how these relationships affect cellular function.