title: In-vitro regulation of odontogenic gene expression in human embryonic tooth cells and SHED cells.
abstract: The bud-to-cap stage transition during early tooth development is a time when the tooth-inducing potential becomes restricted to the mesenchyme. Several key genes, expressed in the mesenchyme at this stage, are an absolute requirement for the progression of tooth development. These include the transcription factors Msx1 and Pax9. The inductive potential of tooth mesenchyme cells is a key requisite for whole-tooth bioengineering and thus identification of cells that can retain this property following expansion in culture is an important as yet unresolved, goal. We show here that in-vitro culture of embryonic human tooth mesenchyme cells and SHED cells express low levels of PAX9 and MSX1 and that these levels can be significantly upregulated by activation of different signalling pathways. Such in-vitro manipulation may thus offer a simple way of maintaining/restoring/inducing the odontogenic-inducing capacity in mesenchymal cells.
authors.affiliation: BioNec, Section of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Ana Angelova
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Volponi
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Renton
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051957:MSX1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D009805:Odontogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D051764:PAX9 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D014070:Tooth / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D051957:MSX1 Transcription Factor; C484083:MSX1 protein, human; D051764:PAX9 Transcription Factor; C497323:PAX9 protein, human