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Isolation, Propagation, and Prion Protein Expression During Neuronal Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Published on: March 18, 2019
Multiple effects of the cellular prion protein on tooth development
Yan Zhang1, Seong-Oh Kim, Sibylle Opsahl-Vital
1Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
The International Journal of Developmental Biology
|January 19, 2012
Summary
The prion protein (PrP) plays a role in tooth development. Its absence accelerates dentin and enamel formation but reduces dentin microhardness and delays enamel mineralization in mice.
Area of Science:
- Dental Research
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The physiological function of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is not well understood.
- PrP(C) has been identified in adult human teeth cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of PrP(C) in tooth development.
- To localize PrP(C) in developing human and mouse teeth.
- To analyze the function of PrP using a PrP-knockout mouse model.
Main Methods:
- Localization of PrP(C) in developing teeth.
- In vitro proliferation assays of dental mesenchymal cells from PrP-knockout mice.
- Histochemistry and immunohistochemistry.
- Laser microdissection and gene expression analysis (PCNA, collagen type 1).
- Dentin microhardness and enamel mineralization assessment.
Main Results:
- PrP(C) was detected in developing ameloblasts and odontoblasts.
- PrP-knockout cells showed faster proliferation in vitro.
- Absence of PrP led to earlier dentin and enamel formation initiation.
- PrP-knockout odontoblasts had reduced proliferation and increased collagen type 1 expression.
- PrP-knockout mice exhibited reduced dentin microhardness and delayed enamel mineralization.
Conclusions:
- Cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) influences tooth formation processes.
- PrP(C) regulates ameloblast and odontoblast differentiation.
- PrP(C) affects cell proliferation, matrix production, and mineralization during tooth development.
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