Distinct Tooth Regeneration Systems Deploy a Conserved Battery of Genes

March 2021 in “ EvoDevo ”

Tyler A. Square, Shivani Sundaram, Emma J. Mackey, Craig T. Miller

hair follicle epithelial stem cells epithelial progenitor cell regenerative therapies

TLDR Different species use the same genes for tooth regeneration.

The study "Distinct tooth regeneration systems deploy a conserved battery of genes" investigated the genetic mechanisms of tooth regeneration in zebrafish and threespine sticklebacks, revealing that despite their evolutionary divergence and differences in dental morphology, both species utilized a conserved set of nine genes (bmpr1aa, bmp6, cd34, gli1, igfbp5a, lgr4, lgr6, nfatc1, and pitx2). This suggested a common epithelial progenitor cell type, termed "successional dental epithelium" (SDE), underlies tooth regeneration. The study also found that these genes are similarly expressed in mouse hair follicle epithelial stem cells, indicating a potential common genetic module across different vertebrate epithelial appendages. The findings highlighted the evolutionary conservation of regenerative mechanisms and suggested potential applications in regenerative therapies for humans.

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