Wnt Signaling and Its Contribution to Craniofacial Tissue Homeostasis.
A new field of dental medicine seeks to exploit nature's solution for repairing damaged tissues, through the process of regeneration. Most adult mammalian tissues have limited regenerative capacities, but in lower vertebrates, the molecular machinery for regeneration is an elemental part of their genetic makeup. Accumulating data suggest that the molecular pathways responsible for the regenerative capacity of teleosts, amphibians, and reptiles have fallen into disuse in mammals but that they can be "jumpstarted" by the selective activation of key molecules. The Wnt family of secreted proteins constitutes one such critical pathway: Wnt proteins rank among the most potent and ubiquitous stem cell self-renewing factors, with tremendous potential for promoting human tissue regeneration. Wnt reporter and lineage-tracing strains of mice have been employed to create molecular maps of Wnt responsiveness in the craniofacial tissues, and these patterns of Wnt signaling colocalize with stem/progenitor populations in the rodent incisor apex, the dental pulp, the alveolar bone, the periodontal ligament, the cementum, and oral mucosa. The importance of Wnt signaling in both the maintenance and healing of these craniofacial tissues is summarized, and the therapeutic potential of Wnt-based strategies to accelerate healing through activation of endogenous stem cells is highlighted.
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Yin
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Li
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Dental School, University Paris Descartes PRES Sorbonne Paris Cite, Montrouge, France; and AP-HP Odontology Department Bretonneau, Hopitaux Universitaires Paris Nord Val de Seine, Paris, France.
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Salmon
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Orthodontic Department, Stomatology Hospital of Chongqing Medical University; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Disease and Biomedical Sciences; and Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory, Chongqing, China.
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Huang
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
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Lim
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Liu
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Hunter
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Ransom
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Singh
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Gillette
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Zou
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA jhelms@stanford.edu.
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Helms
D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000502:physiology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000502:physiology; D010519:Periodontium / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D009057:Stomatognathic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000502:physiology*
dental cementum; mouth mucosa; periodontal ligament; regeneration; stem cells; tooth