Gene expression modulation in stretched muscle cells

Aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of mechanical stretching on the growth and differentiation of skeletal muscle cells. For this reason, we used a mechanical bioreactor that deformed the bottom of a seeded Petri dish. To investigate the effects of stretching on muscle gene expression, samples were analyzed in comparison to static ones without bioreactor stimulation. Cells morphology was analyzed with Wright’s staining. RT-PCR analysis revealed the influence of bioreactor’s action on the expression of specific muscle genes. Mechanical stress treatment resulted in improved cell proliferation and differentiation, due to the up-regulation of both Myf5 and MyoD transcription factors. Our results showed that the mechanic treatment improved the cell proliferation and differentiation due to the up-regulation of key muscle differentiation molecules, such as MyoD and Myf5