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Tooth development from mouse embryonic stem cells and jaw ectomesenchyme
1School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. anita.marais@gmail.com
Introduction:
Mouse embryonic stem cells are known to differentiate into odontoblasts when combined with embryonic oral epithelium. However, this inductive potential has not been studied in jaw ectomesenchyme.
Aims And Objectives:
This study aimed to determine whether mouse embryonic jaw ectomesenchyme could induce mouse embryonic stem cells to participate in tooth formation.
Methods:
The epithelium and ectomesenchymal layers of 10.5-day and 12.5-day mouse embryonic lower jaws were separated. The 10.5-day jaw epithelium and 12.5-day jaw ectomesenchyme were respectively combined with either mouse embryonic stem cells or STO cells as control and cultured in vitro for three days. Some of these grafts were then grown as renal subcapsular grafts for a further 21 days. Histological and immunocytochemical analyses were performed on all the grafts retrieved,
Results:
Combinations of stem cells and jaw epithelium, STO cells and jaw epithelium or ectomesenchyme renal subcapsular grafts showed no tooth formation. However, four out of ten stem cell and jaw ectomesenchyme renal subcapsular grafts developed teeth,
Conclusion:
ES cells but not STO cells contribute to the formation of morphologically distinct teeth following induction by jaw ectomesenchyme.
