Stem cell properties of human periodontal ligament cells.
OBJECTIVE
Stem cells have been used for regenerative therapies in various fields. The proportion of cells that possess stem cell properties in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells is not yet well understood. In this study, we quantitatively characterized human PDL cells to clarify their stem cell properties, including self-renewal, multipotency, and stem cell marker expression.


METHODS
PDL cells were obtained from extracted premolar or wisdom teeth, following which a proliferation assay for self-renewal, a differentiation assay for multipotency, immunostaining for STRO-1, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis for stem cell markers (including CD105, CD166, and STRO-1) were performed.


RESULTS
Approximately 30% of 400 PDL cells were found to possess replicative potential and formed single-cell colonies, and 30% of these colonies displayed positive staining for STRO-1, 20% differentiated into adipocytes and 30% differentiated into osteoblasts. FACS analysis revealed that PDL cells, including cell populations, expressed the stem cell markers CD105, CD166, and STRO-1.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study indicated that PDL cells possess crucial stem cell properties, such as self-renewal and multipotency, and express the mesenchymal stem cell markers CD105, CD166, and STRO-1 on their cell surface, although there were some variations. Thus, PDL cells can be used for periodontal regenerative procedures.
Nagatomo
K
K
Periodontology, Department of Hard Tissue Engineering, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. nagatomo.peri@tmd.ac.jp
Komaki
M
M
Sekiya
I
I
Sakaguchi
Y
Y
Noguchi
K
K
Oda
S
S
Muneta
T
T
Ishikawa
I
I
D050156:Adipogenesis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000096:biosynthesis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D000071063:Endoglin; D005326:Fetal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010513:Periodontal Ligament / Q000166:cytology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020410:Activated-Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D000071063:Endoglin; D005326:Fetal Proteins; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C105613:ALCAM protein, human; D020410:Activated-Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule; C064206:ENG protein, human