title: Rudiment incisors survive and erupt as supernumerary teeth as a result of USAG-1 abrogation.
abstract: The term "supernumerary teeth" describes production of more than the normal number of teeth in the primary or permanent dentitions. Their aetiology is not understood. Uterine sensitization associated gene-1 (USAG-1) is a BMP antagonist that plays important roles in the local regulation of BMP signaling by binding and neutralizing BMP activities, and also serves as a modulator of Wnt signaling. We report here that USAG-1 deficient mice have supernumerary teeth. The supernumerary maxillary incisor appears to form as a result of the successive development of the rudimentary upper incisor tooth. We confirmed that the USAG-1 expression is localized to the epithelium and mesenchyme of the rudimentary maxillary incisor tooth organ formation. USAG-1 abrogation rescued apoptotic elimination of odontogenic mesenchymal cells. Based upon these results, we conclude that USAG-1 controls the number of teeth in the maxillary incisor region by regulating apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murashima-Suginami
authors.forename: Katsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugai
authors.forename: Motoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanagita
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Harold C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Slavkin
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bessho
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019521:Body Patterning; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007180:Incisor / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009805:Odontogenesis; D010641:Phenotype; D014083:Tooth Germ / Q000378:metabolism; D014096:Tooth, Supernumerary / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; C483887:Sostdc1 protein, mouse