Open AccessMEST Regulates the Stemness of Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells
Author(s) -
Daigaku Hasegawa,
Kana Hasegawa,
Hiroshi Kaneko,
Shinichiro Yoshida,
Hiromi Mitarai,
Mai Arima,
Atsushi Tomokiyo,
Sayuri Hamano,
Hideki Sugii,
Naohisa Wada,
Tamotsu Kiyoshima,
Hidefumi Maeda
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
stem cells international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.205
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1687-9678
pISSN - 1687-966X
DOI - 10.1155/2020/9672673
Subject(s) - periodontal ligament stem cells , stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , homeobox protein nanog , regeneration (biology) , gene knockdown , cd146 , chemistry , stem cell marker , periodontal fiber , cell culture , biology , induced pluripotent stem cell , embryonic stem cell , medicine , cd34 , dentistry , alkaline phosphatase , genetics , gene , biochemistry , enzyme
Periodontal ligament (PDL) stem cells (PDLSCs) have been reported as a useful cell source for periodontal tissue regeneration. However, one of the issues is the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient number of PDLSCs for clinical application because very few PDLSCs can be isolated from PDL tissue of donors. Therefore, we aimed to identify a specific factor that converts human PDL cells into stem-like cells. In this study, microarray analysis comparing the gene profiles of human PDLSC lines (2-14 and 2-23) with those of a cell line with a low differentiation potential (2-52) identified the imprinted gene mesoderm-specific transcript (MEST). MEST was expressed in the cytoplasm of 2-23 cells. Knockdown of MEST by siRNA in 2-23 cells inhibited the expression of stem cell markers, such as CD105, CD146, p75NTR, N-cadherin, and NANOG; the proliferative potential; and multidifferentiation capacity for osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. On the other hand, overexpression of MEST in 2-52 cells enhanced the expression of stem cell markers and PDL-related markers and the multidifferentiation capacity. In addition, MEST-overexpressing 2-52 cells exhibited a change in morphology from a spindle shape to a stem cell-like round shape that was similar to 2-14 and 2-23 cell morphologies. These results suggest that MEST plays a critical role in the maintenance of stemness in PDLSCs and converts PDL cells into PDLSC-like cells. Therefore, this study indicates that MEST may be a therapeutic factor for periodontal tissue regeneration by inducing PDLSCs.