Direct reprogramming of functional human osteoblasts for periodontal tissue regeneration

与晚期牙周炎相关的牙槽骨吸收导致牙齿脱落并降低生活质量（QOL）。将自体成骨细胞移植到牙周组织中，有望成为促进牙槽骨再生的一种新的细胞疗法。在本研究中，我们尝试通过转导一些转录因子基因直接将人体细胞重编程为成骨样细胞。从体细胞中高效诱导ALP阳性细胞，所得细胞表达成骨细胞特异性因子并产生矿化骨基质。此外，所得细胞显示出与正常人成骨细胞相似的基因表达谱。这些发现表明体细胞直接成功重编程为成骨细胞，这可能为牙周病提供新的再生医学。

Alveolar bone resorption associated with advanced periodontitis causes tooth loss and reduces quality of life (QOL). Transplantation of autologous osteoblasts into periodontal tissue may facilitate alveolar bone regeneration as a new cell therapy. In this study, we attempted to directly reprogram human somatic cells into osteoblast-like cells by transducing some transcription factor genes. ALP positive cells were induced from somatic cells at a high efficiency, and the resultant cells expressed osteoblast-specific factors and produced mineralized bone matrix. Moreover, the resultant cells displayed a similar gene expression profile as normal human osteoblasts. These findings suggest successful reprogramming of somatic cells directly into osteoblasts, which may provide new regenerative medicine for periodontal diseases.