title: Regulation of the epithelial adhesion molecule CEACAM1 is important for palate formation.
abstract: Cleft palate results from a mixture of genetic and environmental factors and occurs when the bilateral palatal shelves fail to fuse. The objective of this study was to search for new genes involved in mouse palate formation. Gene expression of murine embryonic palatal tissue was analyzed at various developmental stages before, during, and after palate fusion using GeneChip® microarrays. Ceacam1 was one of the highly up-regulated genes during palate formation, and this was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Immunohistochemical staining showed that CEACAM1 was present in prefusion palatal epithelium and was degraded during fusion. To investigate the developmental role of CEACAM1, function-blocking antibody was added to embryonic mouse palate in organ culture. Palatal fusion was inhibited by this function-blocking antibody. To investigate the subsequent developmental role of CEACAM1, we characterized Ceacam1-deficient (Ceacam1(-/-)) mice. Epithelial cells persisted abnormally at the midline of the embryonic palate even on day E16.0, and palatal fusion was delayed in Ceacam1(-/-) mice. TGFβ3 expression, apoptosis, and cell proliferation in palatal epithelium were not affected in the palate of Ceacam1(-/-)mice. However, CEACAM1 expression was retained in the remaining MEE of TGFβ-deficient mice. These results suggest that CEACAM1 has roles in the initiation of palatal fusion via epithelial cell adhesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral-facial Disorders, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mima
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koshino
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Yohki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hieda
authors.forename: Kanji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nohara
authors.forename: Mikihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogo
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017209:Apoptosis; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005145:Face / Q000196:embryology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D019426:Integrases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D042282:Microdissection; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D010159:Palate / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012886:Skull / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; C069847:CD66 antigens; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases