Effect of Nkd2 gene overexpression on tooth development in mice
This study explored the effect of Nkd2 overexpression on tooth development using transgenic (TG) mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was conducted to investigate mRNA expression changes in the dental germs. The findings revealed that TG mice displayed steeper and sharper dental cusps compared to wild-type (WT) mice. RNA-seq identified 154 differentially expressed genes, with 32 genes involved in tooth development. Among these, genes related to tooth mineralization and dentinogenesis, such as MMP20, ODAM, AMTN, KLK4, STIM1, and SLC26A1, were upregulated, while WNT6 and DSPP were downregulated.