CBX7 Rejuvenates Late Passage Dental Pulp Stem Cells by Maintaining Stemness and Pro-angiogenic Ability

Ever-growing tissue regeneration causes pressing need for large population of stem cells. However, extensive cell expansion eventually leads to impaired regenerative potentials. In this study, chromobox protein homolog 7 (CBX7) was overexpressed to rejuvenate late passage dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs-P9).

The recruitment of copper ions (Cu²⁺)-activated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) to the CBX7 gene promoter was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Functions subsequent to Cu²⁺-induced or recombinant overexpression of CBX7 on proliferation, multipotency, odontoblastic differentiation and angiogenesis were investigated in vitro, while murine subcutaneous transplantation model was used to further detect the effects of Cu²⁺-induced CBX7 overexpression in vivo.

Our data displayed that CBX7 overexpression maintain proliferation and multipotency of DPSCs-P9 almost as strong as those of DPSCs-P3. Both gene level of odontoblast-lineage markers and calcium precipitation were nearly the same between CBX7 overexpressed DPSCs-P9 and normal DPSCs-P3. Moreover, we also found upregulated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in DPSCs-P9 with CBX7 overexpression, which increased the number of capillary-like structures and migrating co-cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells as well. These findings indicate CBX7 as an effective factor to rejuvenate late passage stem cells insusceptible to cell expansion. Cu²⁺ has been proved to achieve CBX7 overexpression in DPSCs through the initiation of HIF-1α-CBX7 cascade. Under Cu²⁺ stimulation since P3, DPSCs-P9 exhibited ameliorated regenerative potential both in vitro and in vivo.

Long-term stimulation of Cu²⁺ to overexpress CBX7 could be a new strategy to manufacture large population of self-renewing stem cells.