Overview of noncoding RNAs involved in the osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells.

Periodontal diseases are infectious diseases that are characterized by progressive damage to dental support tissue. The major goal of periodontal therapy is to regenerate the periodontium destroyed by periodontal diseases. Human periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue possesses periodontal regenerative properties, and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) with the capacity for osteogenic differentiation show strong potential in clinical application for periodontium repair and regeneration. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which include a substantial portion of poly-A tail mature RNAs, are considered "transcriptional noise." Recent studies show that ncRNAs play a major role in PDLSC differentiation; therefore, exploring how ncRNAs participate in the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs may help to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs and further shed light on the potential of stem cell transplantation for periodontium regeneration. In this review paper, we discuss the history of PDLSC research and highlight the regulatory mechanism of ncRNAs in the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs. ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.