Characterization of microRNAs expression profiles in human dental-derived pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology provides a powerful means to generate and regenerate unlimited pluripotent stem cells directly from body tissue cells. Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP) and Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are present in ‘cell-rich zones’ within the dental pulp region, which are capable of regenerating pulp and dentin tissues in vivo. In this study, we investigated the difference of miRNAs expression in SCAPs and DPSCs before and after the reprogramming. Using miRNA microarray, 134 and 265 differentially expressed miRNAs in DPSCs- and SCAP-iPSCs were up-regulated compared to these before reprogramming. 117 specific miRNAs with enhanced more than 2-fold were identified in both DPSCs- and SCAP-iPSCs. Among the co-regulated miRNAs, miR-19a-3p, miR-92b-3p and miR-130b-3p showed the maximum difference, which had involvement in the cell cycle, TGF beta signaling pathway and epithelial mesenchymal transition. Using qRT-PCR analysis, the expression of miR-19a-3p, miR-92b-3p and miR-130b-3p indicated substantial increases in DPSCs-iPSCs and SCAP-iPSCs. The findings suggest that miRNAs play a part in the difference between DPSCs-iPSCs and DPSCs, as well as between SCAP-iPSCs and SCAP. The variation of miRNA expression in reprogrammed dental-derived pluripotent stem cells revealed different characteristics induced by iPSC generation.