Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: October 9, 2014
TWIST family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors mediate human mesenchymal stem cell growth and
Sandra Isenmann1, Agnieszka Arthur, Andrew C W Zannettino
1Mesenchymal Stem Cell Group, Division of Haematology, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science/Hanson Institute/ CSCR, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Abstract:
The TWIST family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, Twist-1 and Dermo-1 are known mediators of mesodermal tissue development and contribute to correct patterning of the skeleton. In this study, we demonstrate that freshly purified human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) express high levels of Twist-1 and Dermo-1 which are downregulated following ex vivo expansion. Enforced expression of Twist-1 or Dermo-1 in human MSC cultures increased expression of the MSC marker, STRO-1, and the early osteogenic transcription factors, Runx2 and Msx2. Conversely, overexpression of Twist-1 and Dermo-1 was associated with a decrease in the gene expression of osteoblast-associated markers, bone morphogenic protein-2, bone sialoprotein, osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. High expressing Twist-1 or Dermo-1 MSC lines exhibited an enhanced proliferative potential of approximately 2.5-fold compared with control MSC populations that were associated with elevated levels of Id-1 and Id-2 gene expression. Functional studies demonstrated that high expressing Twist-1 and Dermo-1 MSC displayed a decreased capacity for osteo/chondrogenic differentiation and an enhanced capacity to undergo adipogenesis. These findings implicate the TWIST gene family members as potential mediators of MSC self-renewal and lineage commitment in postnatal skeletal tissues by exerting their effects on genes involved in the early stages of bone development.
Related Concept Videos
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Lineage Commitment
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Master Transcription Regulators
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
General Transcription Factors

