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Analysis of Craniomaxillofacial Malformations in Mice Using Three-dimensional Microcomputed Tomography
Published on: January 17, 2025
Cranial bone morphometric study among mouse strains.
Minoru Kawakami1, Ken-Ichi Yamamura
1Division of Developmental Genetics, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1, Honjo, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto, 860-0811, Japan. mkawa@gpo.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|March 1, 2008
Summary
Geometric morphometrics successfully distinguished cranial shapes across seven mouse strains. Mus spretus exhibits a slender cranium, and distinct genetic lineages within Mus musculus show unique cranial morphologies.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Comparative genomics
- Morphometrics
Background:
- Cranial shape regulation mechanisms are poorly understood.
- Mouse models offer diverse genetic backgrounds for studying phenotypic variation.
- Quantitative frameworks for mouse cranial analysis are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a quantitative framework for analyzing mouse cranial shape.
- To compare cranial morphology across different mouse strains.
- To investigate the relationship between genetic variance and cranial evolution.
Main Methods:
- Craniometric assay of seven mouse strains (Mus musculus domesticus, Mus musculus molossinus, Mus spretus).
- Linear measurements and geometric morphometrics were employed.
- Analysis using the tpsRelw Program to obtain mean scores.
Main Results:
- Geometric morphometrics clearly distinguished cranial characteristics among the seven strains.
- Mus spretus was identified as having a more slender cranium.
- Cranial shapes of C3H/HeJ and CBA/JNCr (M. m. domesticus) were more similar to MSM/Ms (M. m. molossinus) than to other M. m. domesticus strains.
Conclusions:
- Geometric morphometrics is effective for classifying cranial form variations.
- Distinct cranial morphologies correlate with different genetic lineages within mice.
- Further research can elucidate mechanisms of cranial shape regulation.
