Epithelial Cell Rests of Malassez Contain Unique Stem Cell Populations Capable of Undergoing Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition

Odontogenic epithelial stem cells: hidden sources

“…12 The DSC sources located so far in teeth are listed in Table 1. 3,9,[13][14][15][16][17] Many reports have described the multi-potentiality and possible applications of mesenchymal DSCs in dental and non-dental tissue regeneration. [18][19][20][21][22][23] [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Their uniqueness of development from CNCCs explains their multilineage differentiation characteristics.…”

“…These cells are epithelial cells but live in the connective tissue environment with the ability to differentiate into mesenchyme-related tissues by losing their basal lamina. 17,46 These abilities raise the question of whether the cells should be named as cell rests.…”

“…The ability of the ERM to undergo EMT, their multipotentiality, and their differentiation into ameloblast-like cells have been studied by Xiong et al 17 An ERM cell line from human periodontium has been successfully established for further research. 47 The millions of extracted teeth can be collected for the ERM to study the EMT, which is a vital process happening during development, tissue repair, and cancer generation.…”

The Scope of Stem Cells in Periodontal Regeneration

“…Since ECRM is normally present within the periodontium, hence studies have been carried out to research the stemness of ECRM [80][81][82]. They express MSC markers CD29, CD44, HSP-90β also embryonic stem cell markers Oct-4, Nanog and SSEA-4.…”

Periodontal Stem Cells: a Historical Background and Current Perspectives

“…Very little is also known about the nature and role of the microenvironment. Recent findings indicate that epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM) retain stem cell properties and possibly secrete and respond to soluble factors in the adult periodontium [76][77][78]. It would be of interest to determine whether morphological and functional interactions exist between the ERM and stem cell niche in the periodontal ligament.…”