Biological Effect Of TGF-β On Human Dental Pulp Cells And Involvement Of P38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase In TGF-β Signaling

Background and Objective: During reparative dentine formation, the differentiation of dental pulp cells into odontoblasts depends on the regulation of multiple interacting signaling pathways. Signaling molecules involved in the self-repair process can be liberated in pathological conditions. Dental pulp cells, although a heterogeneous cell population, can serve as a model to elucidate the mechanisms in vitro. Recent studies have revealed that Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) plays an essential role in differentiation and migration of dental pulp cells. However, the mechanism by which TGF-P stimulates dental repair remains rather obscure. Judging from the previous studies, we put forward the hypothesis that TGF-P may induce cellular actin filaments reorganization further promoting cellular migration or mediating signals. Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in response to cytokines and environmental stresses is associated with the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) during osteoblastic cell differentiation. p38 MAPK is also reported to be involved in the differentiation of many cell lines such as osteoblasts, neuronal cells and adipocytes. Furthermore, p38 MAPK has been shown to interact with Smad...