Abstract
Migration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the site of injury is crucial in transplantation therapy. Studies have shown that cell migration is regulated by the cellular microenvironment and accompanied by changes in cellular metabolism. However, limited information is available about the relationship between MSC migration and cellular metabolism. Here, we show that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) promotes the migration of MSCs with high levels of glycolysis and high expression of hexokinase 2 (HK2), a rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis. The enhancement of glycolysis via the activation of HK2 expression promoted the migration of MSCs, whereas the inhibition of glycolysis, but not of oxidative phosphorylation, inhibited the bFGF-induced migration of these cells. Furthermore, bFGF enhanced glycolysis by increasing HK2 expression, which consequently promoted β-catenin accumulation, and the inhibition of glycolysis inhibited the bFGF-induced accumulation of β-catenin. When the accumulation of glycolytic intermediates was altered, phosphoenolpyruvate was found to be directly involved in the regulation of β-catenin expression and activation, suggesting that bFGF regulates β-catenin signaling through glycolytic intermediates. Moreover, transplantation with HK2-overexpressing MSCs significantly improved the effect of cell therapy on skull injury in rats. In conclusion, we propose a novel glycolysis-dependent β-catenin signaling regulatory mechanism and provide an experimental and theoretical basis for the clinical application of MSCs.