Characterization of putative amelogenic cells and mesenchymal cells isolated from human dental follicle and dental papilla

在这项研究中，我们分离的人牙囊上皮（DFE）细胞，从牙龈上皮（GE）细胞在其基因表达谱和增殖能力方面是不同的。此外，DFE细胞被揭示为假定的成釉细胞的基础上，他们的基因表达的成釉细胞标记，釉原蛋白。我们发现，DFE和牙乳头间充质细胞（dental papilla mesenchymal cells，dental papilla mesenchymal cells，dental papilla mesenchymal cells，dental papilla mesenchymal cells）之间的直接接触增加了DFE细胞中的釉原蛋白表达，这表明来自dental papilla mesenchymal cells的跨膜信号传导在DFE细胞进入成釉细胞谱系中起着关键作用。更重要的是，与DFM细胞相比，当DFE细胞与BMSCs细胞一起培养时，这种增加是显著的。我们证实，DPM细胞表达成牙本质细胞标记物之一牙本质唾液磷蛋白（DSPP），但DFM细胞不表达。因此，这种上皮细胞驱动的DFE细胞分化可能是在牙齿生成中发现的上皮-间充质相互作用的再现。然而，这种诱导DFE细胞分化的潜在机制尚不清楚。需要更多的信号工作来阐明上皮-间充质相互作用在人类牙齿生成。新的人类成釉细胞，DFE细胞，可能是有用的工具，这样的信号工作。

In this study, we isolated human dental follicle epithelial (DFE) cells that were different from gingival epithelial (GE) cells in terms of their gene expression profiles and proliferative capacity. Furthermore, DFE cells were revealed to be putative amelogenic cells based on their gene expression of an ameloblast marker, amelogenin. We found that a direct contact between DFE and dental papilla mesenchymal (DPM) cells increased an amelogenin expression in DFE cells, suggesting transmembrane signaling from the DPM cells played some pivotal roles for DFE cells to enter into the ameloblast lineage. More importantly, this increase was remarkable when DFE cells were cultured with DPM cells in comparison to DFM cells. We confirmed that DPM cells expressed dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), one of odontoblast markers, but DFM cells did not. Therefore, this DPM cells-driven DFE cells differentiation might be a reproduction of epithelial - mesenchymal interaction, found in tooth generation. However, the underlying mechanisms of this induced differentiation of DFE cells were not cleared. Much more signaling works are required to elucidate epithelial - mesenchymal interaction in human tooth generation. Novel human amelogenic cells, DFE cells, might be useful tool for such kind of signaling works.