?SMA-Expressing Perivascular Cells Represent Dental Pulp Progenitors In Vivo.

ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to examine the contribution of perivascular cells to odontoblasts during the development, growth, and repair of dentin using mouse molars as a model. We used an inducible, Cre-loxP in vivo fate-mapping approach to examine the contributions of the descendants of cells expressing the ?SMA-CreERT2 transgene to the odontoblast lineage. In vivo lineage-tracing experiments in molars showed the contribution of ?SMA-tdTomato⁺ cells to a small number of newly formed odontoblasts during primary dentinogenesis. Using an experimental pulp exposure model in molars to induce reparative dentinogenesis, we demonstrate the contribution of ?SMA-tdTomato⁺ cells to cells secreting reparative dentin. Our results demonstrate that ?SMA-tdTomato⁺ cells differentiated into Col2.3-GFP⁺ cells composed of both Dspp⁺ odontoblasts and Bsp⁺ osteoblasts. Our findings identify a population of mesenchymal progenitor cells capable of giving rise to a second generation of odontoblasts during reparative dentinogenesis. This population also makes a small contribution to odontoblasts during primary dentinogenesis.

SUBMITTER: Vidovic I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5298392 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature