Sonic hedgehog regulates growth and morphogenesis of the tooth

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (22) ◽  
pp. 4775-4785 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.R. Dassule ◽  
P. Lewis ◽  
M. Bei ◽  
R. Maas ◽  
A.P. McMahon

During mammalian tooth development, the oral ectoderm and mesenchyme coordinate their growth and differentiation to give rise to organs with precise shapes, sizes and functions. The initial ingrowth of the dental epithelium and its associated dental mesenchyme gives rise to the tooth bud. Next, the epithelial component folds to give the tooth its shape. Coincident with this process, adjacent epithelial and mesenchymal cells differentiate into enamel-secreting ameloblasts and dentin-secreting odontoblasts, respectively. Growth, morphogenesis and differentiation of the epithelium and mesenchyme are coordinated by secreted signaling proteins. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) encodes a signaling peptide which is present in the oral epithelium prior to invagination and in the tooth epithelium throughout its development. We have addressed the role of Shh in the developing tooth in mouse by using a conditional allele to remove Shh activity shortly after ingrowth of the dental epithelium. Reduction and then loss of Shh function results in a cap stage tooth rudiment in which the morphology is severely disrupted. The overall size of the tooth is reduced and both the lingual epithelial invagination and the dental cord are absent. However, the enamel knot, a putative organizer of crown formation, is present and expresses Fgf4, Wnt10b, Bmp2 and Lef1, as in the wild type. At birth, the size and the shape of the teeth are severely affected and the polarity and organization of the ameloblast and odontoblast layers is disrupted. However, both dentin- and enamel-specific markers are expressed and a large amount of tooth-specific extracellular matrix is produced. This observation was confirmed by grafting studies in which tooth rudiments were cultured for several days under kidney capsules. Under these conditions, both enamel and dentin were deposited even though the enamel and dentin layers remained disorganized. These studies demonstrate that Shh regulates growth and determines the shape of the tooth. However, Shh signaling is not essential for differentiation of ameloblasts or odontoblasts.

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (7) ◽  
pp. 1431-1443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Zhang ◽  
Z. Zhang ◽  
X. Zhao ◽  
X. Yu ◽  
Y. Hu ◽  
...  

The murine tooth development is governed by sequential and reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Multiple signaling molecules are expressed in the developing tooth germ and interact each other to mediate the inductive tissue interactions. Among them are Sonic hedgehog (SHH), Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP2) and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-4 (BMP4). We have investigated the interactions between these signaling molecules during early tooth development. We found that the expression of Shh and Bmp2 is downregulated at E12.5 and E13.5 in the dental epithelium of the Msx1 mutant tooth germ where Bmp4 expression is significantly reduced in the dental mesenchyme. Inhibition of BMP4 activity by noggin resulted in repression of Shh and Bmp2 in wild-type dental epithelium. When implanted into the dental mesenchyme of Msx1 mutants, beads soaked with BMP4 protein were able to restore the expression of both Shh and Bmp2 in the Msx1 mutant epithelium. These results demonstrated that mesenchymal BMP4 represents one component of the signal acting on the epithelium to maintain Shh and Bmp2 expression. In contrast, BMP4-soaked beads repressed Shh and Bmp2 expression in the wild-type dental epithelium. TUNEL assay indicated that this suppression of gene expression by exogenous BMP4 was not the result of an increase in programmed cell death in the tooth germ. Ectopic expression of human Bmp4 to the dental mesenchyme driven by the mouse Msx1 promoter restored Shh expression in the Msx1 mutant dental epithelium but repressed Shh in the wild-type tooth germ in vivo. We further demonstrated that this regulation of Shh expression by BMP4 is conserved in the mouse developing limb bud. In addition, Shh expression was unaffected in the developing limb buds of the transgenic mice in which a constitutively active Bmpr-IB is ectopically expressed in the forelimb posterior mesenchyme and throughout the hindlimb mesenchyme, suggesting that the repression of Shh expression by BMP4 may not be mediated by BMP receptor-IB. These results provide evidence for a new function of BMP4. BMP4 can act upstream to Shh by regulating Shh expression in mouse developing tooth germ and limb bud. Taken together, our data provide insight into a new regulatory mechanism for Shh expression, and suggest that this BMP4-mediated pathway in Shh regulation may have a general implication in vertebrate organogenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Hosoya ◽  
Nazmus Shalehin ◽  
Hiroaki Takebe ◽  
Tsuyoshi Shimo ◽  
Kazuharu Irie

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted protein with important roles in mammalian embryogenesis. During tooth development, Shh is primarily expressed in the dental epithelium, from initiation to the root formation stages. A number of studies have analyzed the function of Shh signaling at different stages of tooth development and have revealed that Shh signaling regulates the formation of various tooth components, including enamel, dentin, cementum, and other soft tissues. In addition, dental mesenchymal cells positive for Gli1, a downstream transcription factor of Shh signaling, have been found to have stem cell properties, including multipotency and the ability to self-renew. Indeed, Gli1-positive cells in mature teeth appear to contribute to the regeneration of dental pulp and periodontal tissues. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advances related to the role of Shh signaling in tooth development, as well as the contribution of this pathway to tooth homeostasis and regeneration.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.L. Thomas ◽  
J.K. Liu ◽  
J.L. Rubenstein ◽  
P.T. Sharpe

Dlx2, a member of the distal-less gene family, is expressed in the first branchial arch, prior to the initiation of tooth development, in distinct, non-overlapping domains in the mesenchyme and the epithelium. In the mesenchyme Dlx2 is expressed proximally, whereas in oral epithelium it is expressed distally. Dlx2 has been shown to be involved in the patterning of the murine dentition, since loss of function of Dlx1 and Dlx2 results in early failure of development of upper molar teeth. We have investigated the regulation of Dlx2 expression to determine how the early epithelial and mesenchymal expression boundaries are maintained, to help to understand the role of these distinct expression domains in patterning of the dentition. Transgenic mice produced with a lacZ reporter construct, containing 3.8 kb upstream sequence of Dlx2, led to the mapping of regulatory regions driving epithelial but not mesenchymal expression in the first branchial arch. We show that the epithelial expression of Dlx2 is regulated by planar signalling by BMP4, which is coexpressed in distal oral epithelium. Mesenchymal expression is regulated by a different mechanism involving FGF8, which is expressed in the overlying epithelium. FGF8 also inhibits expression of Dlx2 in the epithelium by a signalling pathway that requires the mesenchyme. Thus, the signalling molecules BMP4 and FGF8 provide the mechanism for maintaining the strict epithelial and mesenchymal expression domains of Dlx2 in the first arch.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (13) ◽  
pp. 2911-2920 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.N. D'Souza ◽  
T. Aberg ◽  
J. Gaikwad ◽  
A. Cavender ◽  
M. Owen ◽  
...  

Osteoblasts and odontoblasts, cells that are responsible for the formation of bone and dentin matrices respectively, share several molecular characteristics. Recently, Cbfa1 was shown to be a critical transcriptional regulator of osteoblast differentiation. Mutations in this gene cause cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), an autosomal dominant disorder in humans and mice characterized by defective bone formation. CCD also results in dental defects that include supernumerary teeth and delayed eruption of permanent dentition. The dental abnormalities in CCD suggest an important role for this molecule in the formation of dentition. Here we describe results of studies aimed at understanding the functions of Cbfa1 in tooth formation. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization analyses show that Cbfa1 has a unique expression pattern in dental mesenchyme from the bud to early bell stages during active epithelial morphogenesis. Unlike that observed in osteoblast differentiation, Cbfa1 is downregulated in fully differentiated odontoblasts and is surprisingly expressed in ectodermally derived ameloblasts during the maturation phase of enamel formation. The role of Cbfa1 in tooth morphogenesis is further illustrated by the misshapen and severely hypoplastic tooth organs in Cbfa1−/− mice. These tooth organs lacked overt odontoblast and ameloblast differentiation and normal dentin and enamel matrices. Epithelial-mesenchymal recombinants demonstrate that dental epithelium regulates mesenchymal Cbfa1 expression during the bud and cap stages and that these effects are mimicked by the FGFs but not by the BMPs as shown by our bead implantation assays. We propose that Cbfa1 regulates the expression of molecules in mesenchyme that act reciprocally on dental epithelium to control its growth and differentiation. Taken together, our data indicate a non-redundant role for Cbfa1 in tooth development that may be distinct from that in bone formation. In odontogenesis, Cbfa1 is not involved in the early signaling networks regulating tooth initiation and early morphogenesis but regulates key epithelial-mesenchymal interactions that control advancing morphogenesis and histodifferentiation of the epithelial enamel organ.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 4694-4703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine E. Larkins ◽  
Gladys D. Gonzalez Aviles ◽  
Michael P. East ◽  
Richard A. Kahn ◽  
Tamara Caspary

Arl13b, a ciliary protein within the ADP-ribosylation factor family and Ras superfamily of GTPases, is required for ciliary structure but has poorly defined ciliary functions. In this paper, we further characterize the role of Arl13b in cilia by examining mutant cilia in vitro and determining the localization and dynamics of Arl13b within the cilium. Previously, we showed that mice lacking Arl13b have abnormal Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling; in this study, we show the dynamics of Shh signaling component localization to the cilium are disrupted in the absence of Arl13b. Significantly, we found Smoothened (Smo) is enriched in Arl13b-null cilia regardless of Shh pathway stimulation, indicating Arl13b regulates the ciliary entry of Smo. Furthermore, our analysis defines a role for Arl13b in regulating the distribution of Smo within the cilium. These results suggest that abnormal Shh signaling in Arl13b mutant embryos may result from defects in protein localization and distribution within the cilium.


Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Jowett ◽  
S. Vainio ◽  
M.W. Ferguson ◽  
P.T. Sharpe ◽  
I. Thesleff

Duplication of the msh-like homeobox gene of Drosophila may be related to the evolution of the vertebrate head. The murine homologues of this gene, msx 1 and msx 2 are expressed in the developing craniofacial complex including the branchial arches, especially in regions of epithelial-mesenchymal organogenesis including the developing tooth. By performing in vitro recombination experiments using homochronic dental and non-dental epithelial and mesenchymal tissues from E10 to E18 mouse embryos, we have found that the maintenance of homeobox gene expression in the tooth is dependent upon tissue interactions. In homotypic recombinants, dental-type tissue interactions occur, leading to expression of both genes in a manner similar to that seen during in vivo development. msx 1 is expressed exclusively in mesenchyme, both in the dental papilla and follicle. msx 2 is expressed in the dental epithelium and only in the mesenchyme of the dental papilla. In heterotypic recombinants, the dental epithelium is able to induce msx 1 expression in non-dental mesenchyme, this potential being lost at the bell stage. In these recombinants msx 2 was induced by presumptive dental epithelium prior to the bud stage but not thereafter. The expression of msx 1 and msx 2 in dental mesenchyme requires the presence of epithelium until the early bell stage. However, whereas non-dental, oral epithelium is capable of maintaining expression of msx 1 in dental mesenchyme throughout tooth development, induction of msx 2 was temporally restricted suggesting regulation by a specific epithelial-mesenchymal interaction related to the inductive events of tooth formation. msx 1 and msx 2, as putative transcription factors, may play a role in regulating the expression of other genes during tooth formation. We conclude that expression of msx 1 in jaw mesenchyme requires a non-specific epithelial signal, whereas msx 2 expression in either epithelium or mesenchyme requires reciprocal interactions between specialized dental cell populations.


Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 985-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vaahtokari ◽  
S. Vainio ◽  
I. Thesleff

We have studied the expression of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta 1) RNA during mouse tooth development, using in situ hybridization and experimental tissue recombinations. Analysis of the serial sections revealed the appearance of local expression of TGF-beta 1 RNA in the dental epithelium at bud-staged teeth (13-day embryos). Just before transition to the cap stage, TGF-beta 1 RNA expression rapidly increased in the epithelial bud, and it also extended to the condensed dental mesenchyme. At cap stage (14- and 15-day embryos), there was an intense expression of TGF-beta 1 RNA in the morphologically active cervical loops of the dental epithelium. During early bell stage (16- and 17-day embryos), TGF-beta 1 RNA expression was detected in the inner enamel epithelium where it subsequently almost disappeared (18-day embryos). After birth TGF-beta 1 transcripts transiently appeared in these cells when they were differentiating into ameloblasts (1-day mice). The transcripts were lost from the ameloblasts when they became secretory (4-day mice), but the expression continued in ameloblasts in enamel-free areas. Transient expression of TGF-beta 1 RNA was also detected in epithelial stratum intermedium cells at the time of ameloblast differentiation. In the mesenchyme, TGF-beta 1 RNA was not detected during bell stage until it appeared in differentiated odontoblasts (18-day embryos). The secretory odontoblasts continued to express TGF-beta 1 RNA at all stages studied including the odontoblasts of incisor roots. Analysis of the distribution of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation indicated apparent correlations between TGF-beta 1 RNA expression and cell proliferation at the bud and cap stages but not at later stages of tooth development. Tissue recombination experiments of bud-staged (13-day embryos) dental and non-dental tissues showed that tooth epithelium, when cultured together with tooth mesenchyme, expressed TGF-beta 1 RNA. When the tooth epithelium was combined with non-dental jaw mesenchyme, TGF-beta 1 transcripts were not expressed. However, TGF-beta 1 RNA expression was seen in oral epithelium cultured with dental mesenchyme, while no expression of TGF-beta 1 transcripts was seen in the oral epithelium during normal development. Thus, TGF-beta 1 RNA expression seems to be regulated by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (12) ◽  
pp. 1397-1405
Author(s):  
Y.Y. Sweat ◽  
M. Sweat ◽  
W. Yu ◽  
M. Sanz-Navarro ◽  
L. Zhang ◽  
...  

In humans, ankyloglossia and cleft palate are common congenital craniofacial anomalies, and these are regulated by a complex gene regulatory network. Understanding the genetic underpinnings of ankyloglossia and cleft palate will be an important step toward rational treatment of these complex anomalies. We inactivated the Sry (sex-determining region Y)–box 2 ( Sox2) gene in the developing oral epithelium, including the periderm, a transient structure that prevents abnormal oral adhesions during development. This resulted in ankyloglossia and cleft palate with 100% penetrance in embryos examined after embryonic day 14.5. In Sox2 conditional knockout embryos, the oral epithelium failed to differentiate, as demonstrated by the lack of keratin 6, a marker of the periderm. Further examination revealed that the adhesion of the tongue and mandible expressed the epithelial markers E-Cad and P63. The expanded epithelia are Sox9-, Pitx2-, and Tbx1-positive cells, which are markers of the dental epithelium; thus, the dental epithelium contributes to the development of oral adhesions. Furthermore, we found that Sox2 is required for palatal shelf extension, as well as for the formation of palatal rugae, which are signaling centers that regulate palatogenesis. In conclusion, the deletion of Sox2 in oral epithelium disrupts palatal shelf extension, palatal rugae formation, tooth development, and periderm formation. The periderm is required to inhibit oral adhesions and ankyloglossia, which is regulated by Sox2. In addition, oral adhesions occur through an expanded dental epithelial layer that inhibits epithelial invagination and incisor development. This process may contribute to dental anomalies due to ankyloglossia.


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