scholarly journals A new function of BMP4: dual role for BMP4 in regulation of Sonic hedgehog expression in the mouse tooth germ

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.

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (21) ◽  
pp. 4325-4333 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bei ◽  
R. Maas

During early tooth development, multiple signaling molecules are expressed in the dental lamina epithelium and induce the dental mesenchyme. One signal, BMP4, has been shown to induce morphologic changes in dental mesenchyme and mesenchymal gene expression via Msx1, but BMP4 cannot substitute for all the inductive functions of the dental epithelium. To investigate the role of FGFs during early tooth development, we examined the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal Fgfs in wild-type and Msx1 mutant tooth germs and tested the ability of FGFs to induce Fgf3 and Bmp4 expression in wild-type and Msx1 mutant dental mesenchymal explants. Fgf8 expression is preserved in Msx1 mutant epithelium while that of Fgf3 is not detected in Msx1 mutant dental mesenchyme. Moreover, dental epithelium as well as beads soaked in FGF1, FGF2 or FGF8 induce Fgf3 expression in dental mesenchyme in an Msx1-dependent manner. These results indicate that, like BMP4, FGF8 constitutes an epithelial inductive signal capable of inducing the expression of downstream signaling molecules in dental mesenchyme via Msx1. However, the BMP4 and FGF8 signaling pathways are distinct. BMP4 cannot induce Fgf3 nor can FGFs induce Bmp4 expression in dental mesenchyme, even though both signaling molecules can induce Msx1 and Msx1 is necessary for Fgf3 and Bmp4 expression in dental mesenchyme. In addition, we have investigated the effects of FGFs and BMP4 on the distal-less homeobox genes Dlx1 and Dlx2 and we have clarified the relationship between Msx and Dlx gene function in the developing tooth. Dlx1,Dlx2 double mutants exhibit a lamina stage arrest in maxillary molar tooth development (Thomas B. L., Tucker A. S., Qiu M., Ferguson C. A., Hardcastle Z., Rubenstein J. L. R. and Sharpe P. T. (1997) Development 124, 4811–4818). Although the maintenance of molar mesenchymal Dlx2 expression at the bud stage is Msx1-dependent, both the maintenance of Dlx1 expression and the initial activation of mesenchymal Dlx1 and Dlx2 expression during the lamina stage are not. Moreover, in contrast to the tooth bud stage arrest observed in Msx1 mutants, Msx1,Msx2 double mutants exhibit an earlier phenotype closely resembling the lamina stage arrest observed in Dlx1,Dlx2 double mutants. These results are consistent with functional redundancy between Msx1 and Msx2 in dental mesenchyme and support a model whereby Msx and Dlx genes function in parallel within the dental mesenchyme during tooth initiation. Indeed, as predicted by such a model, BMP4 and FGF8, epithelial signals that induce differential Msx1 and Msx2 expression in dental mesenchyme, also differentially induce Dlx1 and Dlx2 expression, and do so in an Msx1-independent manner. These results integrate Dlx1, Dlx2 and Fgf3 and Fgf8 into the odontogenic regulatory hierarchy along with Msx1, Msx2 and Bmp4, and provide a basis for interpreting tooth induction in terms of transcription factors which, individually, are necessary but not sufficient for the expression of downstream signals and therefore must act in specific combinations.


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.


2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 690-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
L. Li ◽  
Y. Zheng ◽  
G. Yuan ◽  
G. Yang ◽  
...  

Several Bmp genes are expressed in the developing mouse tooth germ from the initiation to the late-differentiation stages, and play pivotal roles in multiple steps of tooth development. In this study, we investigated the requirement of BMP activity in early tooth development by transgenic overexpression of the extracellular BMP antagonist Noggin. We show that overexpression of Noggin in the dental epithelium at the tooth initiation stage arrests tooth development at the lamina/early-bud stage. This phenotype is coupled with a significantly reduced level of cell proliferation rate and a down-regulation of Cyclin-D1 expression, specifically in the dental epithelium. Despite unaltered expression of genes known to be implicated in early tooth development in the dental mesenchyme and dental epithelium of transgenic embryos, the expression of Pitx2, a molecular marker for the dental epithelium, became down-regulated, suggesting the loss of odontogenic fate in the transgenic dental epithelium. Our results reveal a novel role for BMP signaling in the progression of tooth development from the lamina stage to the bud stage by regulating cell proliferation and by maintaining odontogenic fate of the dental epithelium.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan F Burke ◽  
Caitlin O’Rourke ◽  
Trejeeve Martyn ◽  
Hannah R Shakartzi ◽  
Timothy E Thayer ◽  
...  

Background: Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is an extracellular matrix protein that inhibits bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in vitro. MGP deficiency induces vascular calcification associated with osteogenic transdifferentiation of endothelial cells (via endothelial-mesenchymal transition, EndMT) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We previously reported that treatment with two pharmacologic inhibitors of BMP signaling reduced aortic calcification in MGP-/- mice. We hypothesized that BMP signaling is essential for EndMT and VSMC osteogenic transdifferentiation induced by MGP deficiency. Methods and Results: Aortic levels of mRNAs encoding markers of osteogenesis (Runx2 and osteopontin) and EndMT (nanog, Sox2, and Oct3/4) were greater in MGP-/- than in wild-type mice (P<0.01 for all). Aortic expression of markers of VSMC differentiation (α-smooth muscle actin, transgelin, and calponin) was less in MGP-/- than in wild-type mice (P<0.001 for all). Treatment of MGP-/- mice with the BMP signaling inhibitor, LDN-193189, reduced expression of both osteogenic and EndMT markers (P<0.05 for all) but did not prevent VSMC de-differentiation. Depletion of MGP in cultured wild-type VSMCs with siRNA specific for MGP (siMGP) was associated with a 30-40% reduction in levels of mRNAs encoding markers of VSMC differentiation (P<0.05 for all), an effect that was not prevented by LDN-193189. Incubation in phosphate-containing media induced greater calcification in siMGP-treated VSMCs than in cells treated with control siRNA (P<0.0001). Treatment with LDN-193189 reduced calcification in siMGP-treated VSMCs (50%, P=0.0003). Conversely, infection of MGP-/- VSMCs with adenovirus specifying MGP increased expression of markers of VSMC differentiation by 60-80% (P<0.01 for all) and decreased calcification by 74% (P=0.03). Conclusions: Inhibition of BMP signaling suppresses osteogenic and EndMT gene programs in MGP-/- mice and reduces calcification of siMGP-treated VSMCs. However, MGP deficiency induces VSMC de-differentiation via a BMP-independent mechanism. These findings suggest that the processes underlying vascular calcification in MGP deficiency are mediated by both BMP signaling-dependent and -independent mechanisms.


2006 ◽  
Vol 174 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hoffman ◽  
Kamal Garcha ◽  
Konstantina Karamboulas ◽  
Matthew F. Cowan ◽  
Linsay M. Drysdale ◽  
...  

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and growth and differentiation factor (GDF) signaling pathways have well-established and essential roles within the developing skeleton in coordinating the formation of cartilaginous anlagen. However, the identification of bona fide targets that underlie the action of these signaling molecules in chondrogenesis has remained elusive. We have identified the gene for the retinoic acid (RA) synthesis enzyme Aldh1a2 as a principal target of BMP signaling; prochondrogenic BMPs or GDFs lead to attenuation of Aldh1a2 expression and, consequently, to reduced activation of the retinoid signaling pathway. Consistent with this, antagonism of retinoid signaling phenocopies BMP4 action, whereas RA inhibits the chondrogenic stimulatory activity of BMP4. BMP4 also down-regulates Aldh1a2 expression in organ culture and, consistent with this, Aldh1a2 is actively excluded from the developing cartilage anlagens. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into BMP action and demonstrate that BMP signaling governs the fate of prechondrogenic mesenchyme, at least in part, through regulation of retinoid signaling.


2019 ◽  
Vol 98 (12) ◽  
pp. 1376-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Liu ◽  
T. Chen ◽  
D. Bai ◽  
W. Tian ◽  
Y. Chen

Tooth morphogenesis involves dynamic changes in shape and size as it proceeds through the bud, cap, and bell stages. This process requires exact regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. Smad7, a general antagonist against transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) signaling, is necessary for maintaining homeostasis and proper functionality in many organs. While TGF-β signaling is widely involved in tooth morphogenesis, the precise role of Smad7 in tooth development remains unknown. In this study, we showed that Smad7 is expressed in the developing mouse molars with a high level in the dental epithelium but a moderate to weak level in the dental mesenchyme. Smad7 deficiency led to a profound decrease in tooth size primarily due to a severely compromised cell proliferation capability in the dental epithelium. Consistent with the tooth shrinkage phenotype, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed that Smad7 ablation downregulated genes referred to epithelial cell proliferation and cell cycle G1/S phase transition, whereas the upregulated genes were involved in responding to TGF-β signaling and cell cycle arrest. Among these genes, the expression of Cdkn1a (encoding p21), a negative cell proliferation regulator, was remarkably elevated in parallel with the diminution of Ccnd1 encoding the crucial cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 in the dental epithelium. Meanwhile, the expression level of p-Smad2/3 was ectopically elevated in the developing tooth germ of Smad7 null mice, indicating the hyperactivation of the canonical TGF-β signaling. These effects were reversed by addition of TGF-β signaling inhibitor in cell cultures of Smad7−/− molar tooth germs, with rescued expression of cyclin D1 and cell proliferation rate. In sum, our studies demonstrate that Smad7 functions primarily as a positive regulator of cell proliferation via inhibition of the canonical TGF-β signaling during dental epithelium development and highlight a crucial role for Smad7 in regulating tooth size.


1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 1035-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
M N Helder ◽  
E Ozkaynak ◽  
K T Sampath ◽  
F P Luyten ◽  
V Latin ◽  
...  

Osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1; BMP-7) is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein subfamily. Because members of the TGF-beta superfamily have a role in tissue development, the distribution of OP-1 expression in developing human embryos (5-8 gestational weeks) and fetuses (8-14 gestational weeks) and mouse (9.5-17.5 gestational days) fetuses was examined. Northern hybridization with specific OP-1 probes revealed two mRNA species of 4 and 2.2 KB. Highest levels of OP-1 mRNA were found in human fetal kidney and heart between 12-14 weeks of gestation. By in situ hybridization, the OP-1 transcripts were found in various tissues, i.e., the ectodermal epithelium of the mouse fore- and hindlimbs, heart, teeth, intestinal epithelium, perichondrium, hypertrophic chondrocytes, and periosteum/osteoblast layer of developing human bones. In kidneys, transcripts were first detected in the epithelium of the branching uretheric buds, whereas at later stages glomeruli were the major site of OP-1 mRNA accumulation. These data suggest that, although OP-1 has been isolated from bone matrix, it may have additional regulatory roles in the morphogenesis and/or function of the kidney, limb bud, tooth, heart, and intestine.


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