Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cell-like cells (iMSCs) are considered to be a promising source of progenitor cells for approaches in the field of bone regeneration. In a previous study, we described the generation of footprint-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human jaw periosteal cells (JPCs) by transfection of a self-replicating RNA (srRNA) and subsequent differentiation into functional osteogenic progenitor cells. In order to facilitate the prospective transfer into clinical practice, xeno-free reprogramming and differentiation methods were established. In this study, we compared the properties and stem cell potential of the iMSCs produced from JPC-derived iPSCs with the parental primary JPCs they were generated from. Our results demonstrated, on the one hand, a comparable differentiation potential of iMSCs and JPCs. Additionally, iMSCs showed significantly longer telomere lengths compared to JPCs indicating rejuvenation of the cells during reprogramming. On the other hand, proliferation, mitochondrial activity, and senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity indicated early senescence of iMSCs. These data demonstrate the requirement of further optimization strategies to improve mesenchymal development of JPC-derived iPSCs in order to take advantage of the best features of reprogrammed and rejuvenated cells.
Keywords: bone-tissue engineering; differentiation; iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal-like cells (iMSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs); jaw periosteal cells (JPCs); self-replicating RNA.