Fate Of Hertwig's Epithelial Root Sheath Cells In Tooth Development
Objectives: Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) which consisted of bi-layered cells derived from inner and outer dental epithelia plays important roles in tooth root formation as well as in maintenance and regeneration of periodontal tissues. About the fate of HERS, although previous reports postulated formation of epithelial rests of Malassez, the apoptosis or epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), it is still not clear what changes epithelial cells undergo.
Methods: In this study, whether HERS cells undergo EMT was examined using the keratin-14 (K14) cre:ROSA 26 transgenic reporter mice.
Results: K14 transgene was expressed by many epithelial tissues such as the oral epithelium and the enamel organ. In addition, the distinct K14 expression pattern of the continuous HERS bi-layer and the epithelial diaphragm were visualized by detecting ß-galactosidase (lacZ) activity in 1 week postnatal mice. Subsequently, 2 and 4 weeks postnatal showed up the fragmentation of HERS with aggregated cells along the root surface. However, some of lacZ-positive dissociated cells along the root surface were not marked for anti-pan-cytokeratin.
Conclusions: These studies suggest that the K14 transgene is a valuable marker for detecting HERS. Besides, some of HERS cells may lose their epithelial peculiarities after fragmentation and undergo EMT.
Asia/Pacific Region Meeting
2009 Asia/Pacific Region Meeting (Wuhan, China) Wuhan, China
2009 80 Scientific Groups
Park, Jin-ho
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Kim, Min-seok
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Kang, Jee-hae
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Cheong, Na-ri
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Yang, So Young
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Ko, Hyun-mi
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Jung, Ji-yeon
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Kim, Won-jae
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Lee, Eun-ju
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
Kim, Sun-hun
( Chonnam National University, Gwangju, N/A, South Korea
)
