Extracellular matrix structure and stem cell mechanosensing

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is ubiquitous in multicellular life, and its structure is critical to the ability of organisms to survive, move, grow, and reproduce. Additionally, cells are able to probe and respond to the mechanical characteristics of ECM. This is important in almost all physiological processes, but particularly so in the behavior and regulation of stem cells within their niches. In this review, we outline the importance of mechanobiology in medicine, describe the research history of cellular mechanosensitivity, and explain why this is important in the biology of stem cells, focusing particularly on pluripotent stem cells. Finally, we put this research in the context of the structure and chemistry of materials that have been used to test theories about cellular mechanosensing