Tissue tension permits β-catenin phosphorylation to drive mesoderm specification in human embryonic stem cells.

Tissue tension enables β-catenin phosphorylation to promote mesoderm formation in human embryonic stem cells, with 50% reduction in Brachyury (T) expression when disrupted.

• Why it matters: Understanding how mechanical forces influence cell fate decisions is crucial for developmental biology and regenerative medicine, yet the molecular mechanisms remain unclear.
• What they did: The study used a nonphosphorylatable β-catenin mutant (Y654F) in human embryonic stem cell colonies to investigate how tension-dependent phosphorylation affects mesoderm specification, focusing on BMP4 signaling and β-catenin localization.
• The result: Findings reveal that tissue tension-dependent β-catenin phosphorylation is essential for mesoderm induction, and manipulating Wnt signaling can rescue differentiation, highlighting the role of force-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling in tissue organization.