Squeezing into differentiation.
The earliest steps in tooth development depend on signaling interactions that result in the condensation of mandibular mesenchyme into the tooth bud. Reporting in this issue of Developmental Cell, Mammoto et al. (2011) find that chemotactic signals coordinate condensation and that the compressive force generated is sufficient to induce tooth bud gene expression.
Lab for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan. raj-ladher@cdb.riken.jp
Raj K
RK
Ladher