title: E-cadherin regulates the behavior and fate of epithelial stem cells and their progeny in the mouse incisor.
abstract: Stem cells are essential for the regeneration and homeostasis of many organs, such as tooth, hair, skin, and intestine. Although human tooth regeneration is limited, a number of animals have evolved continuously growing teeth that provide models of stem cell-based organ renewal. A well-studied model is the mouse incisor, which contains dental epithelial stem cells in structures known as cervical loops. These stem cells produce progeny that proliferate and migrate along the proximo-distal axis of the incisor and differentiate into enamel-forming ameloblasts. Here, we studied the role of E-cadherin in behavior of the stem cells and their progeny. Levels of E-cadherin are highly dynamic in the incisor, such that E-cadherin is expressed in the stem cells, downregulated in the transit-amplifying cells, re-expressed in the pre-ameloblasts and then downregulated again in the ameloblasts. Conditional inactivation of E-cadherin in the cervical loop led to decreased numbers of label-retaining stem cells, increased proliferation, and decreased cell migration in the mouse incisor. Using both genetic and pharmacological approaches, we showed that Fibroblast Growth Factors regulate E-cadherin expression, cell proliferation and migration in the incisor. Together, our data indicate that E-cadherin is an important regulator of stem cells and their progeny during growth of the mouse incisor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology, UCSF, USA.
authors.forename: Chun-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wanghee
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Luder
authors.forename: Roch-Philippe
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Thimios A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Mitsiadis
authors.forename: Ophir D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000565:Ameloblasts / Q000166:cytology; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology; D007180:Incisor / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D051379:Mice; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors