Fig. 4
Mechanotransduction signaling pathways. a Wnt signaling pathway under mechanical loading and unloading conditions. Unloading can increase the expression of Sost and repress the expression of Postn, thus inhibiting osteogenic gene expression, while loading has the opposite effect. Wnt and RhoA/Rock/cytoskeleton have synergetic effects in the process of mechanotransduction. b MSCs favor a commitment to osteoblasts in the rigid matrix and adipocytes in the soft matrix. Several signaling pathways are involved in this lineage commitment, including cytoskeleton rearrangement, YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation, and BMP2/Smad activation.
