Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor interaction with β1 integrin is required for platelet-derived growth factor-AB-induced human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell migration

INTRODUCTION: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are well described for their role in tissue regeneration following injury. Migratory properties of endogenous or administrated MSC are critical for tissue repair processes. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a chemotactic growth factor that elicits mesenchymal cell migration. However, it is yet to be elucidated if signaling pathways other than direct activation of PDGF receptor (PDGF-R) are involved in PDGF-induced cell migration. METHODS: Knocking down and co-immunoprecipitation approaches were used to evaluate urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) requirement and its interactions with proteins involved in migration mechanisms, in human MSC induced to migrate under PDGF-AB effect. RESULTS: We demonstrated that uPAR activation and its association with β1-integrin are required for PDGF-AB-induced migration. This phenomenon takes place in MSC derived from bone marrow and from adipose tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that PDGF-AB downstream signaling requires other effector molecules in MSC such as the uPA/uPAR system and β1 integrin signaling pathway known for their role in migration. These findings provide new insights in molecular mechanisms of PDGF-AB-induced migration of human MSC that may be relevant to control MSC function and tissue remodeling after injury. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-015-0163-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.