Acute Hypoxic Stress Affects Migration Machinery of Tissue O2-Adapted Adipose Stromal Cells
The ability of mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells (MSCs) to be mobilised from their local depot towards sites of injury and to participate in tissue repair makes these cells promising candidates for cell therapy. Physiological O2tension in an MSC niche in vivo is about 4–7%. However, most in vitro studies of MSC functional activity are performed at 20% O2. Therefore, this study focused on the effects of short-term hypoxic stress (0.1% O2, 24 h) on adipose tissue-derived MSC motility at tissue-related O2level. No significant changes in integrin expression were detected after short-term hypoxic stress. However, O2deprivation provoked vimentin disassembly and actin polymerisation and increased cell stiffness. In addition, hypoxic stress induced the downregulation ofACTR3, DSTN, MACF1, MID1, MYPT1, NCK1, ROCK1, TIAM1, andWASF1expression, the products of which are known to be involved in leading edge formation and cell translocation. These changes were accompanied by the attenuation of targeted and nontargeted migration of MSCs after short-term hypoxic exposure, as demonstrated in scratch and transwell migration assays. These results indicate that acute hypoxic stress can modulate MSC function in their native milieu, preventing their mobilisation from sites of injury.