Comparative transcriptome profiles of human dental pulp cells from maxillary and mandibular teeth

PITX1 had a significantly higher expression in the lower teeth compared to the upper teeth and this difference in PITX1 level was more evident in the molars compared to premolars, consistent with data in mouse developing teeth. These show that the differential gene expression during odontogenesis can continue to exist in mature teeth. We suggest that an in vitro study of dental pulp cells should take the differential gene profiles between the mandibular and maxillary teeth into consideration. The knowledge about gene profiling and pathways in mature teeth paves a way to explore a more precise treatment approach in regenerative dentistry. Overall design: The upper and lower premolar and molar teeth obtained from the same participant were employed. Ten participants (four subjects for RNA-Sequencing and six for quantitative real-time PCR) were recruited. The pulp cells from two pairs of opposing premolars and two pairs of opposing molars were cultured and subjected for RNA-Seq. RNA-Seq alignment and differential expression analyses were used to analyze gene expression profile. The cells from three pairs of premolars and three pairs of molars were subjected for qRT-PCR to confirm the RNA-Seq results.