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Updated: Dec 13, 2025
Isolation of Epithelial Cells from Human Dental Follicle
Published on: November 5, 2021
Isolation and characterization of dental follicle-derived Hertwig's epithelial root sheath cells
Ju Eun Oh1, Jin-Kyu Yi2,3
1Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was the isolation and characterization of dental follicle-derived Hertwig's epithelial root sheath cells (DF-HERSCs).
Materials And Methods:
DF-HERSCs were isolated from dental follicle (DF)-derived single-cell suspensions. Their epithelial phenotypes were analyzed by Western blotting, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was induced in DF-HERSCs by treatment with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) or fetal bovine serum (FBS)-added medium. Characteristics of DF-HERSCs were compared with normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOKs) and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs). Osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of DF-HERSCs were analyzed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red staining. All experiments were conducted in triplicate.
Results:
Primary DF-HERSCs were isolated from DF. Epithelial phenotypes of DF-HERSCs were confirmed by morphological and Western blot analysis. PCR results demonstrated that the origin of DF-HERSCs was neither endothelial nor hematopoietic. Enamel matrix derivative (EMD)-associated genes were not expressed in DF-HERSCs. Treatment with TGF-β and FBS-added medium triggered the progression of EMT in DF-HERSCs. The acquired potency of differentiation and mineralization was shown in EMT-progressed DF-HERSCs.
Conclusions:
DF contains putative populations of HERSC, named DF-HERSC. DF-HERSCs shared common characteristics with NHOKs and NHEKs.
