Artificially constructed collagen-targeting receptors on mesenchymal stromal cells promote anoikis resistance and tissue repair.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy holds significant promise in regenerative medicine, leveraging their multipotent differentiation capacity and paracrine effects. However, clinical translation is limited by poor cell survival and engraftment in a hostile injury microenvironment, where detachment-induced anoikis and insufficient extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion compromise their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we engineered MSCs with surface-anchored von Willebrand factor A3 domain (vWF A3), a natural collagen-binding domain with exceptional affinity for type I and III collagen, to simultaneously confer collagen-targeting and prosurvival functionalities. The vWF A3-modified MSCs (vWF A3-MSCs) exhibited enhanced collagen-binding capacity, improving retention in myocardial infarction (MI) and osteoarthritis (OA) lesions. Beyond adhesion, vWF A3-MSCs demonstrated improved reparative capacity and anoikis resistance, driven by the activation of ECM-receptor interaction and integrin β3 signaling. These modifications promoted proangiogenic effects via mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation while enhancing cell survival through Hippo pathway suppression. In vivo studies confirmed the superior therapeutic efficacy of vWF A3-MSCs in both MI and OA models, highlighting how the artificially constructed collagen-targeting receptors on cell and ECM-adhesion-targeted strategy reprogram cellular fate and enhance therapeutic efficacy in stem cell-based regenerative medicine.
Cardiovascular diseases
Care/Management

Authors

Xu Xu, Chen Chen, Wang Wang, Yang Yang, Ruan Ruan, Li Li, Huang Huang, Ming Ming, Zhao Zhao, Zhang Zhang, Fang Fang, Xiao Xiao, Zou Zou, Hu Hu, Wang Wang
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