Abstract
BACKGROUND
The proteomic signature or profile best describes the functional component of a cell during its routine metabolic and survival activities. Additional complexity in differentiation and maturation is observed in stem/progenitor cells. The role of functional proteins at the cellular level has long been attributed to anatomical niches, and stem cells do not deflect from this attribution. Human dental stem cells (hDSCs), on the whole, are a combination of mesenchymal and epithelial coordinates observed throughout craniofacial bones to pulp.
AIM
To specify the proteomic profile and compare each type of hDSC with other mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of various niches. Furthermore, we analyzed the characteristics of the microenvironment and preconditioning changes associated with the proteomic profile of hDSCs and their influence on committed lineage differentiation.
METHODS
Literature searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, from January 1990 to December 2018. An extra inquiry of the grey literature was completed on Google Scholar, ProQuest, and OpenGrey. Relevant MeSH terms (PubMed) and keywords related to dental stem cells were used independently and in combination.
RESULTS
The initial search resulted in 134 articles. Of the 134 full-texts assessed, 96 articles were excluded and 38 articles that met the eligibility criteria were reviewed. The overall assessment of hDSCs and other MSCs suggests that differences in the proteomic profile can be due to stem cellular complexity acquired from varied tissue sources during embryonic development. However, our comparison of the proteomic profile suffered inconsistencies due to the heterogeneity of various hDSCs. We believe that the existence of a heterogeneous population of stem cells at a given niche determines the modalities of regeneration or tissue repair. Added prominences to the differences present between various hDSCs have been reasoned out.
CONCLUSION
Systematic review on proteomic studies of various hDSCs are promising as an eye-opener for revisiting the proteomic profile and in-depth analysis to elucidate more refined mechanisms of hDSC functionalities.