Publications (65) View all
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Article: Establishment of odontoblastic cells, which indicate odontoblast features both in vivo and in vitro.
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ABSTRACT: Tooth tissue engineering offers very attractive perspectives for elaboration of regenerative treatments, which enables to cure tooth loss and restore quality of life of the patients. To elaborate such treatment, isolation and culture of dental pulp cell must be achieved as a key element. In this article, we report the establishment of a stable cell line from GFP transgenic rat dental pulp, named TGC (Tooth Matrix-forming, GFP Rat-derived Cell). TGCs have exhibited odontoblastic feature both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, TGC exposed to osteogenic medium demonstrated collagen fiber synthesis with matrix vesicle and mineralization and formed a sheet-like substrate on the cell culture dish. Increased ALP activity and elevated transcription level of various genes involved in calcification and dentin formation were also observed. In vivo, transplanted TGC in SCID mice with β-TCP particles formed dentin-like and pulp-like structure with lining odontoblast. Notably, even after up to 80 passages, TGCs retain their morphological features and differentiation ability. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a dental pulp-derived cell with such stable odontoblastic characteristics. TGC could be a very useful model for further study on dental pulp cell.Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine 05/2013; · 1.63 Impact Factor -
Article: Knockdown of Dkk-3 decreases cancer cell migration and invasion independently of the Wnt pathways in oral squamous cell carcinoma‑derived cells.
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ABSTRACT: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is thought to arise as the result of cumulative genetic or epigenetic alterations in cancer-associated genes. We focused on the Dickkopf-3 (Dkk-3) gene as a candidate tumor suppressor in OSCC. Dkk-3 is a potential tumor suppressor, and its downregulation has been reported in various types of malignancies. However, our previous data demonstrated that the Dkk-3 protein was dominantly expressed in OSCC tissue, and its expression was correlated with a high incidence of metastasis and with poor prognosis. In order to explain this paradox, we performed functional analyses of the Dkk-3 gene in cancer cell lines. RT-PCR revealed that Dkk-3 mRNA expression was observed in OSCC-derived cell lines but not in gastrointestinal or colorectal adenocarcinoma‑derived cell lines. The siRNA for Dkk-3 was transfected into Dkk-3-expressing cells, and the changes in cell proliferation, invasion and migration were assessed. The knockdown of Dkk-3 mRNA by siRNA transfection did not affect cell proliferation, but it significantly decreased cell migration and invasion. To further investigate the precise mechanism that contributes to the potential oncogenic function of Dkk-3, the Wnt canonical pathway and non-canonical pathways were assessed. Western blotting demonstrated that the effect of Dkk-3 knockdown on cell migration or invasion was not caused by activation of the Wnt pathways. These data demonstrated that Dkk-3 expression in OSCC was different than that in adenocarcinomas. Dkk-3 may possess an oncogenic function that is independent of Wnt signaling.Oncology Reports 01/2013; · 1.84 Impact Factor -
Article: The Role of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells During the Bone Healing Process in the GFP Mouse Bone Marrow Transplantation Model.
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ABSTRACT: Bone healing is a complex and multistep process in which the origin of the cells participating in bone repair is still unknown. The involvement of bone marrow-derived cells in tissue repair has been the subject of recent studies. In the present study, bone marrow-derived cells in bone healing were traced using the GFP bone marrow transplantation model. Bone marrow cells from C57BL/6-Tg (CAG-EGFP) were transplanted into C57BL/6 J wild mice. After transplantation, bone injury was created using a 1.0-mm drill. Bone healing was histologically assessed at 3, 7, 14, and 28 postoperative days. Immunohistochemistry for GFP; double-fluorescent immunohistochemistry for GFP-F4/80, GFP-CD34, and GFP-osteocalcin; and double-staining for GFP and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase were performed. Bone marrow transplantation successfully replaced the hematopoietic cells into GFP-positive donor cells. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that osteoblasts or osteocytes in the repair stage were GFP-negative, whereas osteoclasts in the repair and remodeling stages and hematopoietic cells were GFP-positive. The results indicated that bone marrow-derived cells might not differentiate into osteoblasts. The role of bone marrow-derived cells might be limited to adjustment of the microenvironment by differentiating into inflammatory cells, osteoclasts, or endothelial cells in immature blood vessels.Calcified Tissue International 12/2012; · 2.38 Impact Factor -
Article: Osteogenic genes related to the canonic WNT pathway are down-regulated in ameloblastoma.
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ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the expression of essential osteogenic genes related to the canonic WNT pathway, i.e., WDR5, sFRP-2, and their downstream genes, in ameloblastoma and to clarify their biologic impact on this neoplasm. Forty-six paraffin-embedded ameloblastoma samples and ameloblastic (AM-1) and preosteoblastic (KUSA/A1) cell lines were used. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay were performed. WDR5, essential for osteoblast differentiation and canonic WNT pathway activation, was negative in most ameloblastoma cases and weakly expressed in AM-1 cells. Conversely, sFRP-2s was overexpressed. RUNX2 and C-MYC, downstream inductions of canonic WNT pathway activation, demonstrated weak mRNA expressions in ameloblastoma, suggesting WNT pathway impairment and WDR5 functional inactivity. Recombinant WDR5 weakly induced ALP activity of KUSA/A1 cells cultured in AM-1 conditioned medium. These findings suggest that WNT-related bone-forming genes are down-regulated in ameloblastoma. Concurrent sFRP-2 overexpression suggests that both bone-forming and bone-inhibiting genes equally contributed to reduced bone formation in this neoplasm.Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology. 12/2012; 114(6):771-7. -
Article: Heparanase and cyclooxygenase-2 gene and protein expressions during progression of oral epithelial dysplasia to carcinoma.
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ABSTRACT: Heparanase and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are 2 key enzymes that modulate diverse physiological processes during embryonic development and in adult life. Their deregulations have been implicated in the growth and progression of many cancer types. To date, comparatively little is known about the roles of these molecules during oral carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of heparanase and COX-2 during progression of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) to carcinoma. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were performed on 5 cases of normal mucosa, 15 cases of OED, 5 cases of carcinoma in situ and/or microinvasive carcinoma, and 40 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Results demonstrated that heparanase and COX-2 messenger RNA and protein were absent in normal oral mucosa but were coexpressed in increasing intensity as OED progressed to OSCC. Concomitant heparanase- and COX-2-positive staining in the stromal cells suggests that OED/OSCC progression may be modulated by stromal-cancer cell interactions. Diffuse intense staining of poorly differentiated OSCC compared with staining localized to tumor nest periphery in well- and moderately differentiated OSCC suggests that heparanase and COX-2 overexpressions correlated with tumor grade. Strong expression of these enzymes in tumor cells at the advancing front suggests a role in local tumor spread. These results, taken together, suggest that heparanase and COX-2 might play complementary roles in the stepwise progression of OED to carcinoma.Annals of diagnostic pathology 05/2012; 16(5):354-61.
