(616e) Protein-Based Biomaterials Containing a BMP Peptide Accelerate Osteogenic Differentiation

Tissue engineering of bone is a promising approach to regenerate large bone defects that do not self-heal. In this study, we are investigating the use of protein-based biomaterials as potential scaffolds for bone regeneration. These biomaterials are modular and include multiple protein domains in a single material. In particular, we have included bioactive cues in the biomaterial to promote stem cells to differentiate and produce a bone matrix.
In our study, we developed an artificial protein containing resilin repeats from Anopheles gambiae (structural domain) and a peptide derived from bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) (bioactive domain). The BMP peptide is derived from the knuckle epitope of human BMP-2 and has previously been shown to promote osteogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). We are currently investigating the effect of our resilin-based protein on osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). hMSCs grown on the protein containing the BMP-2 peptide accelerated bone formation, as assessed by Alizarin red S staining. This accelerated bone formation was sequence specific; cells grown on a protein containing a scrambled version of the BMP-2 peptide did not show a similar acceleration. Further osteogenic effects of our protein matrix will be characterized by evaluating alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and osteogenic gene expression.