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Yang Y, Alves T, Miao M, Wu Y, Li G, Lou J, Hasturk H, Van Dyke T, Kantarci A, Wu D. Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Dental Pulp and Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells. J Dent Res 2024; 103:71-80. [PMID: 37982164 PMCID: PMC10850875 DOI: 10.1177/00220345231205283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The regeneration of periodontal, periapical, and pulpal tissues is a complex process requiring the direct involvement of cells derived from pluripotent stem cells in the periodontal ligament and dental pulp. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) are spatially distinct with the potential to differentiate into similar functional and phenotypic cells. We aimed to identify the cell heterogeneity of DPSCs and PDLSCs and explore the differentiation potentials of their specialized organ-specific functions using single-cell transcriptomic analysis. Our results revealed 7 distinct clusters, with cluster 3 showing the highest potential for differentiation. Clusters 0 to 2 displayed features similar to fibroblasts. The trajectory route of the cell state transition from cluster 3 to clusters 0, 1, and 2 indicated the distinct nature of cell differentiation. PDLSCs had a higher proportion of cells (78.6%) at the G1 phase, while DPSCs had a higher proportion of cells at the S and G2/M phases (36.1%), mirroring the lower cell proliferation capacity of PDLSCs than DPSCs. Our study suggested the heterogeneity of stemness across PDLSCs and DPSCs, the similarities of these 2 stem cell compartments to be potentially integrated for regenerative strategies, and the distinct features between them potentially particularized for organ-specific functions of the dental pulp and periodontal ligament for a targeted regenerative dental tissue repair and other regeneration therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y. Yang
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - T. Alves
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M.Z. Miao
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Thurston Arthritis Research Center, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Y.C. Wu
- The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - G. Li
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J. Lou
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - H. Hasturk
- The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - D. Wu
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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