ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the differential expression of miRNAs between human dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs) and stem cells from the apical papilla(SCAPs). Methods: DPSCs and SCAPs were isolated by immune-magnetic binding specific STRO-1 antibody separation system. Osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of DPSCs and SCAPs were tested by ALP assay, alizarin red staining(ARS) and Oil Red O staining. Differential miRNA expression of DPSCs and SCAPs was screened by the Next generation sequencing. Target genes and their possible roles of these differential miRNAs were predicted using biological information analysis. Results: The results revealed that 7 miRNAs(hsa-miR-224-5p, hsa-miR-1247-5p, hsa-miR-3065-3p, hsa-miR-452-5p, hsamiR-767-5p, hsa-miR-4284, hsa-miR-146a-5p) were downregulated while no miRNAs was upregulated in SCAPs compared with DPSCs. 27 target genes which mainly involved in the cell migration, differentiation and apoptosis were found. Conclusion: Downregulation of some specific miRNAs might be related to the stemness of SCAPs.