NFIC promotes the vitality and osteogenic differentiation of rat dental follicle cells.

Nuclear factor I-C (NFIC) plays critical roles in the regulation of tooth development by influencing the biological behaviors of stem cells in the dental germ. This study aimed to investigate the effect of NFIC on the vitality and osteogenic/cementogenic differentiation of rat dental follicle cells (DFCs). DFCs were isolated from dental follicles in the first molars of neonatal rats. DFCs expressed mesenchymal stromal cell markers CD29, CD44 and CD90 and had capabilities for self-renewal and multipotent differentiation. Overexpression of NFIC promoted the proliferation of DFCs without markedly influencing the apoptosis of DFCs. Moreover, NFIC increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in DFCs and upregulated the mRNA levels of osteogenic-related markers, namely, collagen type I (Col I), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and ALP, as well as β-catenin. In contrast, silencing NFIC by siRNA increased the apoptosis of DFCs and downregulated the expression of osteogenic-related markers. In conclusion, these results suggested that upregulation of NFIC may promote the proliferation and osteogenic/cementogenic differentiation of DFCs.