Effects of the local mechanical environment on vertebrate tissue differentiation during repair: does repair recapitulate development?

The local mechanical environment is a crucial factor in determining cell and tissue differentiation during vertebrate skeletal development and repair. Unlike the basic response of bone to mechanical load, as described in Wolff's law, the mechanobiological relationship between the local mechanical environment and tissue differentiation influences everything from tissue type and molecular architecture to the formation of complex joints. This study tests the hypothesis that precisely controlled mechanical loading can regulate gene expression, tissue differentiation and tissue architecture in the adult skeleton and that precise manipulation of the defect's local mechanical environment can initiate a limited recapitulation of joint tissue development.