Conclusion
We suggest that BBS7 plays an essential role in maintaining Shh signaling activity for PDL homeostasis.
Methods
To investigate the transcriptomic difference between control and hypofunctional PDL tissue from patients, RNA sequencing was performed on 34 human teeth. The atrophic changes in PDL were evaluated by histological analysis. The effect of the Bardet-Biedl syndrome 7 (BBS7) knockdown was evaluated by the RT-qPCR, Western blot, wound healing, and tubule formation assay.
Results
We detected that the expression of BBS7 was downregulated in occlusal hypofunctional PDL through RNA sequencing. Dynamic changes, including the number of periodontal ligament cells, alignment of collagen fibers, diameter of blood vessels, appearance of primary cilia, and torturous oxytalan fibers, were observed following occlusal hypofunction. Furthermore, Sonic hedgehog signaling (Shh) activity was closely associated with BBS7 expression in PDL cells. In addition, the cell migration and angiogenesis were also suppressed by BBS7 knockdown in vitro.