title: The role of Irf6 in tooth epithelial invagination.
abstract: Thickening and the subsequent invagination of the epithelium are an important initial step in ectodermal organ development. Ikkα has been shown to play a critical role in controlling epithelial growth, since Ikkα mutant mice show protrusions (evaginations) of incisor tooth, whisker and hair follicle epithelium rather than invagination. We show here that mutation of the Interferon regulatory factor (Irf) family, Irf6 also results in evagination of incisor epithelium. In common with Ikkα mutants, Irf6 mutant evagination occurs in a NF-κB-independent manner and shows the same molecular changes as those in Ikkα mutants. Irf6 thus also plays a critical role in regulating epithelial invagination. In addition, we also found that canonical Wnt signaling is upregulated in evaginated incisor epithelium of both Ikkα and Irf6 mutant embryos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Development and Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre, Dental Institute, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohazama
authors.forename: Katsushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuka-Tanaka
authors.forename: Bigang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kenya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Ryan B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Rountree
authors.forename: Yinling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Birchmeier
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Ullrich
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.forename: Nigel L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051550:I-kappa B Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D038081:Organogenesis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014070:Tooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C528250:IRF6 protein, mouse; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors; C496564:Chuk protein, mouse; D051550:I-kappa B Kinase