Objective　To investigate the effect of laminar shear stress on the expression of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase（MT1-MMP）in rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs). Methods　rMSCs were isolated from SD rat lower extremities and loaded by laminar shear stress with the parallel-plate flow chamber system, then the expression of MT1-MMP mRNA of rMSCs was examined by real-time PCR.　Results　Shear stress with different magnitude of 5, 15, 30 dynes/cm2 all induced MT1-MMP mRNA expression, especially high shear stress, 30 dynes/cm2, which was time-dependent. The expression of MT1-MMP mRNA was inhibited by SB202190, an inhibitor of p38, but enhanced by wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI3K/Akt.　Conclusion　Shear stress can activate the expression of MT1-MMP. The amount of MT1-MMP expression is closely related to stimulating time and the strengths of shear stress, and p38MAPK and PI3K/Akt signal pathway may play a critical role during the process.