Study model
Tet2-mutant and wild-type mouse blood stem cells
The research question
How do extracellular-matrix signals affect blood stem cells carrying a Tet2 mutation?
The experiment the surface enabled
After identifying changes in extracellular-matrix biology, the researchers used functionalised StemBond hydrogels for 28-day mouse blood stem-cell cultures. The surfaces let them test the effect of specific matrix cues.
What they found
Hydrogel-anchored von Willebrand factor reduced the mutant cells’ primitive progenitor and stem-cell expansion advantage, and reduced subsequent engraftment. Presenting the same protein on plastic did not produce the same expansion effect.
Why the context matters
An assay can depend on both the cue and how it is presented. That makes the culture surface part of the question.
Go to the source
Low-input proteomics identifies vWF as a negative regulator of Tet2 mutant hematopoietic stem cell expansion
Jassinskaja et al. · Cell Reports · 2026
