Migration of human dental follicle cells in vitro

Background and objectives The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of different growth factors on the migration of dental follicle cells (DFCs). DFCs are ectomesenchymally derived easily accessible multipotent stem cells. Cell migration is a crucial step in many biological processes but also for tissue engineering. Growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) or transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) can be used to modify the behavior of cells. Material and Methods We used different migration assays (gel spot assay, scratch assay, transwell assay) to evaluate the influence of EGF, BMP2 and TGF-beta 1 on the migration of DFCs. We investigated the expression of migration-related genes after growth factor stimulation using the PCR array human cell motility. Results DFCs treated with BMP2 or TGF-beta 1 migrated faster than DFCs treated with EGF. Additionally, more migration-related genes are regulated after treatment with BMP2 or TGF-beta 1 than with EGF. TGF-beta 1 additionally functions as a chemoattractant for DFCs. Osteogenic differentiation markers were regulated after BMP2 treatment only. Conclusion Whereas the strong migration induced by BMP2 was accompanied by beginning osteogenic differentiation the strong migration induced by TGF-beta 1 was directional. EGF exhibited not only the weakest migration stimulation but also the weakest induction of differentiation into mineralizing cells.