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NaBC1 Boron Transporter Enables Myoblast Response to Substrate Rigidity via Fibronectin-Binding Integrins.

Juan Gonzalez-Valdivieso1,2, Giuseppe Ciccone1,3, Udesh Dhawan1

  • 1Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment (CeMi), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G11 6EW, UK.

Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|April 24, 2025
PubMed
Summary

The boron transporter NaBC1 acts as a mechanosensor, enhancing cell adhesion and tension. Increased boron and matrix stiffness activate NaBC1, influencing cell behavior.

Keywords:
NaBC1biomaterialsmechanobiologymechanotransductionmuscle cellstissue engineering

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Cells sense and respond to their physical microenvironment through mechanotransduction.
  • Proteins like integrins are key mediators of these cellular responses.
  • The role of specific transporters in mechanosensing remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the novel role of the boron transporter NaBC1 in cellular mechanotransduction.
  • To determine if NaBC1 functions as a mechanosensor in response to physical cues.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized C2C12 myoblasts cultured on fibronectin-functionalized polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels of varying stiffness.
  • Manipulated soluble boron ion concentration and employed esiRNA to silence NaBC1 expression.
  • Measured cell adhesion, intracellular tension, retrograde actin flow, and traction forces.

Main Results:

  • Soluble boron ions activate NaBC1, enhancing cell adhesion and intracellular tension.
  • Increased boron concentration and hydrogel stiffness significantly augmented retrograde actin flow and traction forces.
  • These NaBC1-mediated effects were dependent on fibronectin and abrogated upon NaBC1 silencing.

Conclusions:

  • NaBC1 functions not only in boron homeostasis but also as a critical mechanosensor.
  • Boron transport is linked to cellular responses to microenvironmental physical properties.
  • This discovery opens new avenues for understanding cell-matrix interactions and boron's role in cell physiology.