Knockdown of Yes-Associated Protein Induces the Apoptosis While Inhibits the Proliferation of Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells through Crosstalk between Erk and Bcl-2 Signaling Pathways

The purpose of this study was to provide an insight into the biological effects of knockdown Yes-associated protein (YAP) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human periodontal ligament stem cells (h-PDLSCs). Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to evaluate Hippo-YAP signaling expression level. Enhanced green fluorescence protein lentiviral vector was constructed to down-regulate YAP in h-PDLSCs. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the interfering efficiency of YAP expression. The proliferation activity was detected by EdU staining. Analysis of apoptosis in h-PDLSCs was done through Annexin V-APC staining, while cell cycle analysis was detected by flow cytometry. Cellular senescence was analyzed by β-galactosidase activity detection. The expression of elements in signaling pathways related with proliferation and apoptosis was detected by Western blot. YAP was located in nucleus and cytoplasm. After the lentivirus transfection, the expression of YAP mRNA and protein was significantly reduced (P