LncRNA H19 promotes the committed differentiation of stem cells from apical papilla via miR-141/SPAG9 pathway

• DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1337-3
• Publication Date: 2019-02-12T11:04:48Z
• Authors: Zehan Li; Ming Yan; Yan Yu; Yanqiu Wang; Gang Lei; Yin Pan; Na Li; Romila Gobin; Jinhua Yu
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Adolescent; Stem Cells; Cell Differentiation; Transfection; Article; Healthy Volunteers; MicroRNAs; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; Osteogenesis; Humans; Odontogenesis; RNA, Long Noncoding; Dental Papilla; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Cell Proliferation

AbstractLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert significant roles at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) differentiate into dentin/bone-like tissues under certain conditions. So far, whether lncRNA-H19 can affect the proliferative behaviors and osteo/odontogenesis of SCAPs, as well as its specific mechanism remain to be elucidated. Here, SCAPs were isolated and transfected with the lentiviruses or packaging vectors. Our results showed that lncRNA-H19 had no significant effect on the proliferative behaviors of SCAPs, as presented by CCK-8 assay, EdU assay and flow cytometry (FCM). Furthermore, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, alizarin red staining, Western blot assay (WB), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and in vivo bone formation assay were conducted to verify the biological influences of H19 on SCAPs. Overexpression of H19 led to the enhanced osteo/odontogenesis of SCAPs, whereas knockdown of H19 inhibited these effects. Mechanistically, H19 competitively bound to miR-141 and prevented SPAG9 from miRNA-mediated degradation, thus significantly elevating phosphorylated levels of p38 and JNK and facilitating the committed differentiation of SCAPs. Taken together, the osteo/odontogenesis of SCAPs was upregulated by overexpression of H19 via miR-141/SPAG9 pathway.