Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Isolation and Culture of Dental Epithelial Stem Cells from the Adult Mouse Incisor
Published on: May 1, 2014
Claudin rather than occludin is essential for differentiation in rat incisor odontoblasts
M Hoshino1, S Hashimoto, T Muramatsu
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Many morphological and developmental studies have demonstrated the characteristics of tight junctions (TJs) between odontoblasts. However, detailed localization of TJ-associated proteins in odontoblasts and their functions has not yet been clarified. To elucidate the relationship between the establishment of TJ structures and the differentiation of odontoblasts during early dentinogenesis, we studied the expression and localization of constituent proteins of TJs (claudin-1, occludin, ZO-1 and ZO-2) between odontoblasts in rat lower incisors using Western blotting, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. When the expression of claudin-1 increases at the distal portion of mature odontoblasts, the TJs form complex networks of strands, and odontoblasts differentiated by developing distal membrane domains and by secreting specific molecules for mineralization. We conclude that the TJs of odontoblasts may play an important role in the differentiation of odontoblasts in rat lower incisors during early dentinogenesis.
Related Concept Videos
Tight Junctions
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Determination
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Adherens Junctions
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...

