Substrate Stiffness Regulates the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Periodontal Ligament Cells through Integrin-Linked Kinase ILK

Abstract

The hallmark of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is time-consuming during clinical treatments. The acceleration of OTM through modulating proliferation and apoptosis of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) possesses the potential application in clinical treatments. Here, we established an in vitro model with a graded increase in substrate stiffness to investigate the underlying mechanism of proliferation and apoptosis of PDLCs. The role of the integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in response to substrate stiffness was investigated by the depletion model of PDLCs. We found that the proliferation and apoptosis of PDLCs show a stiffness-dependent property with stiffer substrates favoring increased bias at the transcript level. Depleting integrin-linked kinase diluted the correlation between PDLCs behaviors and substrate stiffness. Our results suggest that ILK plays a significant role in modulating PDLC proliferation and apoptosis and can serve as a potential target for accelerating OTM.

Cellular‐Scale Matrix Stiffness Gradient at Soft‐Hard Tissue Interfaces Regulates Immunophenotype of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…[ 43 ] Thus, various surfaces may affect cell behavior and phenotype by offering unique biophysical or biochemical cues. [ 44 ] In this process, some matrix surfaces could prefer certain cell subtypes or potentially modify cell phenotypes after adhesion. [ 45 ] These alterations might arise from the combined effects of biophysical and biochemical cues in the microenvironment, rather than just selective adhesion.…”

Revealing the pathogenesis of gastric intestinal metaplasia based on the mucosoid air-liquid interface

“…The organoids model and the air-liquid interface (ALI) model are two main stem cell models [7], notably, organoids are miniature cell clusters formed by cells in a three-dimensional (3D) space in vitro, which can self-proliferate and differentiate into different cell types [8]. A necessary condition for a successful in vitro model for human disease is the persistent proliferation of certain cells [9]. It has been reported that Wnt and R-spondin administrated in vitro can maintain the stemness of stem cells and promote their continuous proliferation [10,11].…”