Intermittent traction stretch promotes the osteoblastic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells by the ERK1/2-activated Cbfa1 pathway.

Mechanical stress plays a crucial role in bone formation and absorption. We investigated the osteoblastic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) affected by intermittent traction stretch at different time points and explored the mechanism of osteoblastic differentiation under this special mechanical stimulation. The BMSCs and C3H10T1/2 cells were subjected to 10% elongation for 1-7 days using a Flexcell Strain Unit, and then the mRNA levels of osteoblastic genes and the expression of core-binding factor a1 (Cbfa1) were examined. Furthermore, we focused specifically on the role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Cbfa1 in the osteogenesis of BMSCs stimulated by the stretch. The results of these experiments showed that the stretch induces a time-dependent increase in the expression of osteoblastic genes. The synthesis of osteoblastic genes was downregulated after the knockdown of Cbfa1 expression by short-interfering RNA. Furthermore, the stress-induced increase in the expression of Cbfa1 mRNA and osteoblastic genes was inhibited by U0126, an ERK1/2 inhibitor. These results indicate that long periods of intermittent traction stretch promote osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs through the ERK1/2-activated Cbfa1 signaling pathway.