Altering integrin engagement regulates membrane localization of K2.1 channels.

How ion channels localize and distribute on the cell membrane remains incompletely understood. We show that interventions that vary cell adhesion proteins and cell size also affect the membrane current density of inward-rectifier K channels (K2.1; encoded by ) and profoundly alter the action potential shape of excitable cells.

Cartilage matrix formation by bovine mesenchymal stem cells in three-dimensional culture is age-dependent.

Background: Cartilage degeneration is common in the aged, and aged chondrocytes are inferior to juvenile chondrocytes in producing cartilage-specific extracellular matrix. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an alternative cell type that can differentiate toward the chondrocyte phenotype. Aging may influence MSC chondrogenesis but remains less well studied, particularly in the bovine system.