Proliferation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) is crucial in tooth development and damage repairing, also includes its therapy application for tissue engineering. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in biological processes of DPSCs, and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) also plays important roles in cell proliferation and differentiation, however, the roles of miR-584 and TAZ in DPSCs are not known. We found up-regulated miR-584 expression and down-regulated TAZ expression levels in aging dental pulp tissue compare to those in young dental pulp tissue. In proliferating DPSCs we demonstrated the decreased miR-584 expression and increased TAZ expression. miR-584 mimics suppressed DPSCs proliferation and migration, and significantly reduced TAZ production, whereas miR-584 inhibition exerted the converse effects. Knocking down of the TAZ in DPSCs had a similar effect as overexpression of miR-584. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-584 could directly bind to the TAZ mRNA 3'UTR to repress its translation. Overexpression of TAZ can partly rescue miR-584 mimic-mediated the inhibition of proliferation. Additionally, miR-584 inhibited cell proliferation and downregulated expression of cell cycle proteins by AKT signaling pathway. Together, we identified that miR-584 may be a key regulator in the proliferation of DPSCs by regulating TAZ expression via AKT signaling pathway. It would be a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for pulp disease.
Keywords: DPSCs; TAZ; cell cycle; miRNA-584; proliferation.