MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS FROM DIFFERENT EMBRYONIC ORIGINS SHOWED DISTINGUISHED GENE EXPRESSION BEFORE AND AFTER NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION INDUCTION

Background Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are multipotent, self-renewing cells with wide tissue distribution. The perspective of the use of MSC in biobanks is increasingly frequent. MSCs may have different embryonic origins such as mesoderm, (Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells - ADSC) and ectoderm (Dental Pulp Stem Cells – DPSC). The ectodermal origin can facilitate their differentiation into neurons, among other cells of same origin. This study aimed to determine whether the embryonic origin of DPSC guarantees a greater differentiation potential for neuronal cells than ADSC. Methods Samples from tooth pulp (n=6) and adipose tissue (n=6) were collected, and cells were isolated and characterized by morphology, differentiation in chondrogenic, osteogenic and adipogenic lineages and by flow cytometry according to the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT). The potential for neuronal differentiation was observed using RT-qPCR and RNA sequencing. Results DPSC and ADSC showed plastic adhesion, fibroblast morphology and immunophenotypic profile according to the ISCT guidelines. DPSC expressed CD56 (neuronal marker) before and after neuronal differentiation. ADSC and DPSC differentiated for chondrogenic and osteogenic lineage; however, only the ADSC differed for the adipogenic lineage. Specific adipocyte genes (PPARG and FABP4) were not expressed in DPSC after 21 days of adipogenic induction. After neuronal differentiation, we observed a greater expression of Nestin in DPSC before and after differentiation when compared to ADSC. RNA sequencing showed that, DPSC and ADSC are similar, sharing most of the transcripts. However, analyzes of gene ontology (GO) using differentially expressed genes have shown that DPSC specific GO terms are related to neuronal differentiation and nervous system tissue development, while ADSC specific GO terms are associated with mesodermal and endodermal tissue development. Conclusion It was possible to observe that there is a difference between ADSC and DPSC. DPSC do not differentiate into adipocytes and have a greater potential for neuronal differentiation than ADSC, suggesting that the embryonic origin in fact favors differentiation in lineages from the same embryonic leaflet. The data obtained confirm the need for biobanks to store MSC from different sources because the potentials of differentiation vary according to the tissue from MSC were isolated, which may have direct implication in the treatments performed.