Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, College of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
Mol Med Rep. 2012 May;5(5):1340-6. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2012.797. Epub 2012 Feb 17.
Periodontal ligament-associated protein-1 (PLAP-1/asporin) is a special marker in periodontal ligament tissue. It is an important regulator of osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs). This marker is also a prerequisite for periodontal ligament development and mineralization in maintaining homeostasis of the periodontium. However, the molecular mechanisms of the regulation of PLAP-1 expression at the post-transcriptional level remain unknown. By contrast, microRNAs (miRNAs) provide an additional level of regulation beyond that of transcription factors via regulation of the post-transcriptional control of gene expression. This study was designed to analyze miRNA differential expression patterns of PDLCs at various osteoblastic differentiation stages and to determine the contribution of miRNAs in the regulation of PLAP-1 expression during osteoblast differentiation. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to predict miRNAs that potentially regulate the gene expression of PLAP-1. Dual luciferase reporter assay and qRT-PCR were performed to confirm the effects of these miRNAs on PLAP-1 gene expression. Our results indicated that mir-101 and mir-21 target PLAP-1 to regulate its expression during osteogenic differentiation of PDLCs.
牙周韧带相关蛋白-1（PLAP-1/asporin）是牙周韧带组织中的一种特殊标志物。它是牙周韧带细胞（PDLCs）成骨分化的重要调节剂。该标志物也是维持牙周组织内稳态过程中牙周韧带发育和矿化的前提条件。然而，PLAP-1 表达的转录后水平调节的分子机制尚不清楚。相比之下，miRNAs（miRNA）通过调节基因表达的转录后控制，为转录因子提供了额外的调节水平。本研究旨在分析不同成骨分化阶段 PDLCs 的 miRNA 差异表达模式，并确定 miRNA 在成骨分化过程中对 PLAP-1 表达的调节作用。生物信息学分析用于预测可能调节 PLAP-1 基因表达的 miRNA。双荧光素酶报告基因检测和 qRT-PCR 用于验证这些 miRNA 对 PLAP-1 基因表达的影响。我们的结果表明，miR-101 和 miR-21 通过靶向 PLAP-1 来调节其在 PDLC 成骨分化过程中的表达。
