Common target genes of palatal and gingival fibroblasts for Emdogain

Methods: Human palatal and gingival fibroblasts were exposed to Emdogain® and RNA subjected to microarray analysis followed by gene ontology screening with DAVID functional annotation clustering, KEGG pathway analysis, and the STRING functional protein association network. Microarray results were confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis.

Results: Transcription levels of 106 genes were at least 5-fold changed in both, gingival and palatal fibroblasts upon exposure to Emdogain®. Gene Ontology screening assigned the respective genes into 118 biological processes, six cellular components, eight molecular functions, and five pathways. Among the striking pattern was the changing expression of ligands targeting the TGF-β and gp130 receptor family, as well as the mesenchymal epithelial transition. Moreover, Emdogain® caused expression changes of receptors for chemokines, lipids and hormones, and transcription factors such as smad-3, PPARγ and ETS.

Conclusion: The present data suggest that Emdogain® causes substantial alterations in gene expression with a similar pattern in palatal and gingival fibroblasts.