ArticleStem cell research & therapy2025
Investigations into the basal neural-like properties of dental pulp stem cells reveal they possess a functional type 2 muscarinic receptor which regulates quiescence.
Article in Stem cell research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Interaction Between the Central Nervous System and Dental Tissues: Hypothetical Dental Interoception Inferred From Skeletal Interoception.Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2026Review
- NMR metabolomics assessment of neural commitment of human dental pulp-derived stem cells.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are a population of mesenchyme-derived cells residing within the dental pulp known for their multipotent differentiation potential and neural-like properties. While a functional cholinergic system has been described in various mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) populations, muscarinic receptor mediated cholinergic signalling remains unexplored in DPSCs.
methodsThe expression of neurotransmitter-associated genes was investigated using a targeted array panel and immunocytochemistry. Functionality of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) was confirmed using receptor-specific agonists and antagonists. The effects of type 2 muscarinic receptor (m2AChR) signalling on DPSCs viability and proliferation were evaluated using an LDH release assay, CCK-8 assay and annexin V/PI staining. The effect of m2AChR signalling on the cell cycle was determined by flow cytometry and gene expression profiling, and the downstream effects on DPSCs osteogenic differentiation and migration were determined using an osteogenic differentiation assay and a wound healing assay. Finally, the effect of m2AChR signalling on the transcriptome was determined by RNAseq and the role of the MAPK/ERK pathway in mediating m2AChR signalling determined using an in-cell ELISA.
resultsAnalysis of the neurotransmitter profile of DPSCs revealed they have cholinoceptive properties and pharmacological investigations confirmed they express a functional m2AChR. Activation of the m2AChR led to a reversible reduction in DPSCs proliferation, without compromising cell viability or pluripotency. Flow cytometric analysis and gene expression profiling confirmed that activation of the m2AChR caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase which coincided with upregulated expression of CDKN1A (P21), a canonical marker of quiescence. Activation of the DPSC m2AChR also impaired their migration and osteogenic differentiation capabilities. RNAseq analysis revealed differentially expressed genes involved in regulating the cell cycle and MAPK/ERK signalling. Furthermore, analysis of ERK1/2 phosphorylation suggested that the MAPK/ERK pathway may play a role in m2AChR mediated regulation of quiescence.
conclusionsDPSCs exhibit cholinoceptive properties, and activation of the m2AChR engages the MAPK/ERK pathway and is associated with a reversible cell-cycle arrest consistent with a quiescent-like state, without affecting viability or pluripotency. These data support the m2AChR as a putative target for manipulating DPSC behaviour and transient quiescence in future regenerative applications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.