Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a crucial role in bone regeneration and remodeling processes. Because of their osteogenic potential, MSCs have become an important source of cells in gene therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for bone tissue. MSC differentiation into the osteogenic lineage is a multistep process, highly regulated by specific signaling molecules and involving multiple extracellular signaling pathways as well as a complex gene expression regulation. Over the last decade, interest in the field of epigenetics has grown rapidly. Increasing evidence shows that many epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNA regulation are involved in the fine modulation of gene expression during osteogenic differentiation and bone repair. However, many of the mechanisms and the role of epigenetic changes are far from being fully understood.
This Research Topic is intended to provide and discuss an overview of the epigenetic modifications occurring in the regulation of gene expression and the different steps of MSCs osteogenic differentiation. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms and the temporal dynamics of MSCs epigenetic regulation during osteogenesis will improve knowledge on MSC biology as well as osteogenic differentiation, ultimately leading to enhance tissue engineering approaches and discovering new therapies for bone repair.
The scope of the current Research Topic is to highlight recent, novel and promising findings concerning the epigenetic changes and mechanisms involved in the differentiation of MSCs towards the osteogenic phenotype with the aim to provide new potential targets for investigating clinical perspectives of bone repair, regeneration and treatment of bone diseases.
Potential topics should include, but are not limited to:
• Interplay between epigenetic modifiers and gene expression
• Identification of novel epigenetic players.
• Relation among epigenetic changes and BMSC osteogenic potential
• Association among epigenetic changes and osteogenic differentiation steps
• Epigenetic changes as cellular mediators of bone therapies
• Epigenetic drugs and treatment
Brief Reports, Original Research, Mini-Reviews and Reviews will be accepted.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a crucial role in bone regeneration and remodeling processes. Because of their osteogenic potential, MSCs have become an important source of cells in gene therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for bone tissue. MSC differentiation into the osteogenic lineage is a multistep process, highly regulated by specific signaling molecules and involving multiple extracellular signaling pathways as well as a complex gene expression regulation. Over the last decade, interest in the field of epigenetics has grown rapidly. Increasing evidence shows that many epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNA regulation are involved in the fine modulation of gene expression during osteogenic differentiation and bone repair. However, many of the mechanisms and the role of epigenetic changes are far from being fully understood.
This Research Topic is intended to provide and discuss an overview of the epigenetic modifications occurring in the regulation of gene expression and the different steps of MSCs osteogenic differentiation. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms and the temporal dynamics of MSCs epigenetic regulation during osteogenesis will improve knowledge on MSC biology as well as osteogenic differentiation, ultimately leading to enhance tissue engineering approaches and discovering new therapies for bone repair.
The scope of the current Research Topic is to highlight recent, novel and promising findings concerning the epigenetic changes and mechanisms involved in the differentiation of MSCs towards the osteogenic phenotype with the aim to provide new potential targets for investigating clinical perspectives of bone repair, regeneration and treatment of bone diseases.
Potential topics should include, but are not limited to:
• Interplay between epigenetic modifiers and gene expression
• Identification of novel epigenetic players.
• Relation among epigenetic changes and BMSC osteogenic potential
• Association among epigenetic changes and osteogenic differentiation steps
• Epigenetic changes as cellular mediators of bone therapies
• Epigenetic drugs and treatment
Brief Reports, Original Research, Mini-Reviews and Reviews will be accepted.