title: Common mechanisms in development and disease: BMP signaling in craniofacial development.
abstract: BMP signaling is one of the key pathways regulating craniofacial development. It is involved in the early patterning of the head, the development of cranial neural crest cells, and facial patterning. It regulates development of its mineralized structures, such as cranial bones, maxilla, mandible, palate, and teeth. Targeted mutations in the mouse have been instrumental to delineate the functional involvement of this signaling network in different aspects of craniofacial development. Gene polymorphisms and mutations in BMP pathway genes have been associated with various non-syndromic and syndromic human craniofacial malformations. The identification of intricate cellular interactions and underlying molecular pathways illustrate the importance of local fine-regulation of Bmp signaling to control proliferation, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and stem/progenitor differentiation during craniofacial development. Thus, BMP signaling contributes both to shape and functionality of our facial features. BMP signaling also regulates postnatal craniofacial growth and is associated with dental structures life-long. A more detailed understanding of BMP function in growth, homeostasis, and repair of postnatal craniofacial tissues will contribute to our ability to rationally manipulate this signaling network in the context of tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: dgraf@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Zeba
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan; Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, MI, USA. Electronic address: mishina@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mishina
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019465:Craniofacial Abnormalities / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
keywords: BMP signaling; Cleft palate; Congenital malformations; Craniofacial development; Craniofacial malformations; Gene targeting; Tooth morphogenesis