ArticleDevelopmental cell2004
Cell shape, cytoskeletal tension, and RhoA regulate stem cell lineage commitment.
Article in Developmental cell, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1,679 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1,679 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4,143 citations in OpenAlex.
- Unraveling the rationale and conducting a comprehensive assessment of KD025 (Belumosudil) as a candidate drug for inhibiting adipogenic differentiation-a systematic review.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- The responsive nucleus: morphological signatures of cellular state.Nucleus (Austin, Tex.) · 2026Review
- Article
- A Wet-and-Dry Research Model: Unveiling Biomechanics in Odontoblast Polarization.International endodontic journal · 2026Article
- Flexible high-resolution ECM micropatterning.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Article
- Article
- Anisotropic nanospikes on micro and nanoscale hierarchical titanium surfaces enhance early osseointegration of dental implants.Discover nano · 2026Article
- Mechanotransductive Osteogenesis Through Microarchitectural Stabilization in an Injectable Hydrogel-Mineral System.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2026Article
- The Mechanobiology of Adipocyte Hypertrophy: Cytoskeletal Remodelling as a Driver of Insulin Resistance in Obesity.Cell biochemistry and function · 2026Review
- Data modeling the interplay between single-cell shape, single-cell protein expression, and tissue state.Cell reports methods · 2026Article
- Engineering Biomimetic 3D Microenvironments for Extracellular Vesicle Programming Toward Clinical Translation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Beyond Potency: Emerging Determinants and Optimization Strategies Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy of Adult Stem Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: Progress in differentiation, clinical translation, and immune protection.Animal models and experimental medicine · 2026Review
- A Circuit of Mechanically Regulated Transcription Factors Balances Regenerative and Fibrotic Memory of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- A Microwell Platform for Characterizing the Dynamic Response of Corneal Keratocytes to Biochemical and Biophysical Cues.Micromachines · 2026Article
- Spatial transcriptomics maps distinct signatures of human intermuscular adipose expansion in mice.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Geometry-driven immunomodulation in 3D-printed bioceramics: Negative curvature promotes macrophage M2 polarization via Ras-MAPK/HIF-1α signaling for vascularized osteogenesis.Bioactive materials · 2026Article
- Leveraging factors that control alveolar epithelial cell fate enables large-scale expansion for lung tissue engineering.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- A Biomimetic Amelogenin-Fibronectin Fusion Protein with Dual Cell-Adhesive and Osteoinductive Functions for Alveolar Bone Defect Repair.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
1,619 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Commitment of stem cells to different lineages is regulated by many cues in the local tissue microenvironment. Here we demonstrate that cell shape regulates commitment of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to adipocyte or osteoblast fate. hMSCs allowed to adhere, flatten, and spread underwent osteogenesis, while unspread, round cells became adipocytes. Cell shape regulated the switch in lineage commitment by modulating endogenous RhoA activity. Expressing dominant-negative RhoA committed hMSCs to become adipocytes, while constitutively active RhoA caused osteogenesis. However, the RhoA-mediated adipogenesis or osteogenesis was conditional on a round or spread shape, respectively, while constitutive activation of the RhoA effector, ROCK, induced osteogenesis independent of cell shape. This RhoA-ROCK commitment signal required actin-myosin-generated tension. These studies demonstrate that mechanical cues experienced in developmental and adult contexts, embodied by cell shape, cytoskeletal tension, and RhoA signaling, are integral to the commitment of stem cell fate.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.