• Identified a novel lincRNA-ASAO that promotes odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs).
• lincRNA-ASAO interacts with splicing factor PTBP1 to regulate alternative splicing of ALPL pre-mRNA, specifically promoting exon 2 skipping and increasing the type 2 splice variant.
• The lincRNA-ASAO/PTBP1/ALPL axis enhances odontoblast differentiation, offering a potential therapeutic target for dental pulp repair.
• Findings expand the understanding of lncRNA-mediated alternative splicing in stem cell differentiation and provide a basis for improving hDPSC-based clinical therapies.