RNASeq of human mesenchymal stem cells (6 donors) with and without treatment with 1 hour of cyclic tensile strain (2.6 – 6.2% strain, 5.0 Hz).

Understanding how cells respond to and cope with high levels of mechanical stress is important to gain a better understanding of mechano-biology, both in health and disease. The experiment was designed to assess the total mRNA levels in mechanically stimulated cells and was used, in conjunction with mass spectrometry data, to gain an insight into the systemic response to high-intensity mechanical strain. Here, total RNA was extracted from human mesenchymal stem cells (n=6) following 1 hour of cyclic tensile strain (2.6 – 6.2% strain, 5.0 Hz) using a Flexcell Tension Plus device. RNA from unstrained cells was used as control. The protein coding RNAs were then sequenced with Illumina HiSeq technology.