Mechanical confinement prevents ectopic platelet release

The aim of the project is to identify the genes in megakaryocytes whose expression is modified upon 3D methylcellulose hydrogel culture compared to liquid culture. Megakaryocytes are the precursor cells of platelets. We previously showed that growing megakaryocytes in 3D hydrogel strongly modifies their differentiation and their morphology, being closer to the one in situ. We were thus interested into identifying these mechanobiological pathways induced by the confinement. We found that 3D culture notably upregulated genes related to the Rho GTPase pathway. 4 independent biological replicates: 4 cultures of MK grown either in liquid or in 3D hydrogel