title: Comparative study of MSX-2, DLX-5, and DLX-7 gene expression during early human tooth development.
abstract: Msx and Dlx family transcription factors are key elements of craniofacial development and act in specific combinations with growth factors to control the position and shape of various skeletal structures in mice. In humans, the mutations of MSX and DLX genes are associated with specific syndromes, such as tooth agenesis, craniosynostosis, and tricho-dento-osseous syndrome. To establish some relationships between those reported human syndromes, previous experimental data in mice, and the expression patterns of MSX and DLX homeogenes in the human dentition, we investigated MSX-2, DLX-5, and DLX-7 expression patterns and compared them in orofacial tissues of 7.5- to 9-wk-old human embryos by using in situ hybridization. Our data showed that MSX-2 was strongly expressed in the progenitor cells of human orofacial skeletal structures, including mandible and maxilla bones, Meckel's cartilage, and tooth germs, as shown for DLX-5. DLX-7 expression was restricted to the vestibular lamina and, later on, to the vestibular part of dental epithelium. The comparison of MSX-2, DLX-5, and DLX-7 expression patterns during the early stages of development of different human tooth types showed the existence of spatially ordered sequences of homeogene expression along the vestibular/lingual axis of dental epithelium. The expression of MSX-2 in enamel knot, as well as the coincident expression of MSX-2, DLX-5, and DLX-7 in a restricted vestibular area of dental epithelium, suggests the existence of various organizing centers involved in the control of human tooth morphogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie-Odontologie, Université Paris VII, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Davideau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hotton
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Forest
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berdal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D051379:Mice; D014070:Tooth / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: C100596:DLX5 protein, human; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C104149:Dlx4 protein, mouse; C501120:Dlx5 protein, mouse; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C084119:MSX2 protein; D014157:Transcription Factors