Department of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
J Dent Res. 2012 Oct;91(10):955-60. doi: 10.1177/0022034512458123. Epub 2012 Aug 14.
Although human deciduous teeth are an ideal source of adult stem cells, no method for identifying deciduous periodontal ligament (D-PDL) stem cells has so far been developed. In the present study, we investigated whether stage-specific embryonic antigen (SSEA)-4 is a marker that could be used to isolate D-PDL stem cells. The isolated D-PDL cells met the minimum criteria for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs): They showed plastic adherence, specific-surface antigen expression, and multipotent differentiation potential. SSEA-4+ D-PDL cells were detected in vitro and in vivo. A flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that 22.7% of the D-PDL cells were positive for SSEA-4. SSEA-4+ clonal D-PDL cells displayed multilineage differentiation potential: They were able to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes in vitro. A clonal assay demonstrated that 61.5% of the SSEA-4+ D-PDL cells had adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic potential. Our present study demonstrated that SSEA-4+ D-PDL cells are a subset of multipotent stem cells. Hence, SSEA-4 is a specific marker that can be used to identify D-PDL stem cells.
虽然人类的乳牙是成体干细胞的理想来源，但目前尚未开发出鉴定乳牙牙周韧带（D-PDL）干细胞的方法。本研究旨在探讨阶段特异性胚胎抗原-4（SSEA-4）是否可作为分离 D-PDL 干细胞的标志物。分离的 D-PDL 细胞符合间充质干细胞（MSCs）的最低标准：具有贴壁能力、特定表面抗原表达和多向分化潜能。体外和体内均检测到 SSEA-4+D-PDL 细胞。流式细胞术分析表明，22.7%的 D-PDL 细胞呈 SSEA-4 阳性。SSEA-4+克隆 D-PDL 细胞具有多能分化潜能：它们能够在体外分化为脂肪细胞、成骨细胞和成软骨细胞。克隆实验表明，61.5%的 SSEA-4+D-PDL 细胞具有成脂、成骨和成软骨潜能。本研究表明，SSEA-4+D-PDL 细胞是多能干细胞的一个亚群。因此，SSEA-4 是鉴定 D-PDL 干细胞的特异性标志物。
