BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most promising cell types for bone regeneration and repair due to their osteogenic potential. MSC differentiation is precisely regulated and orchestrated by the mechanical and molecular signals from the extracellular environment, involving complex pathways regulated at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. However, the potential role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in the osteogenic differentiation of human MSCs remains largely unclear.MethodsHere, we undertook the survey of differential coding and noncoding transcript expression profiling and functional network analysis during osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) using human whole transcriptome microarray. The key pathways, mRNAs, and lncRNAs controlling osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs were identified by further bioinformatic analysis. The role of lncRNA in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs was verified by lncRNA overexpression or knockdown methods.ResultsA total of 1269 coding transcripts with 648 genes significantly upregulated and 621 genes downregulated, and 1408 lncRNAs with 785 lncRNAs significantly upregulated and 623 lncRNAs downregulated were detected along with osteogenic differentiation. Bioinformatic analysis identified that several pathways may be associated with osteogenic differentiation potentials of BMSCs, such as the MAPK signaling pathway, the Jak-STAT signaling pathway, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and the TGF-beta signaling pathway, etc. Bioinformatic analysis also revealed 13 core regulatory genes including seven mRNAs (GPX3, TLR2, BDKRB1, FBXO5, BRCA1, MAP3K8, and SCARB1), and six lncRNAs (XR_111050, NR_024031, FR374455, FR401275, FR406817, and FR148647). Based on the analysis, we identified one lncRNA, XR_111050, that could enhance the osteogenic differentiation potentials of MSCs.ConclusionsThe potential regulatory mechanisms were identified using bioinformatic analyses. We further predicted the interactions of differentially expressed coding and noncoding genes, and identified core regulatory factors by co-expression networks during osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Our results could lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of genes and lncRNAs, and their cooperation underlying MSC osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. We identified that one lncRNA, XR_111050, could be a potential target for bone tissue engineering.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-017-0485-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Our results have identified a new function of SFRP2 and shed new light on the molecular mechanism underlying directed differentiation of stem cells of dental origin.

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that show self-renewal, multi-directional differentiation, and paracrine and immune regulation. As a result of these properties, the MSCs have great clinical application prospects, especially in the regeneration of injured tissues, functional reconstruction, and cell therapy. However, the transplanted MSCs are prone to ageing and apoptosis and have a difficult to control direction differentiation. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively regulate the functions of the MSCs to promote their desired effects. In recent years, it has been found that mitochondria, the main organelles responsible for energy metabolism and adenosine triphosphate production in cells, play a key role in regulating different functions of the MSCs through various mechanisms. Thus, mitochondria could act as effective targets for regulating and promoting the functions of the MSCs. In this review, we discuss the research status and current understanding of the role and mechanism of mitochondrial energy metabolism, morphology, transfer modes, and dynamics on MSC functions.

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Stem cells isolated from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) are highly capable of proliferation and differentiation, and they represent good cell sources for mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) mediated dental tissue regeneration, but the supply of SHEDs is limited. A previous study found that stem cells could be isolated from inflamed tissues, but it is unknown whether primary dental pulp diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis might contain stem cells with appropriate tissue regeneration capacity. In this study, we aimed to isolate stem cells from both inflamed pulps of deciduous teeth (SCIDs) and SHEDs from Chinese children and to compare their proliferation and differentiation potentials. Our results showed that SCIDs were positive for cell surface markers, including CD105, CD90, and CD146, and they had high proliferation ability and osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potentials. There was no significant difference in proliferation and differentiation potentials between SCIDs and SHEDs. The mRNA of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, was expressed at similar levels in SCIDs and SHEDs, but SCIDs secreted more TNF-α protein. In conclusion, our in vitro results showed that SCIDs have proliferation and differentiation potentials similar to those of SHEDs. Thus, SCIDs represent a new potentially applicable source for MSC mediated tissue regeneration.

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