Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Laminectomy for the Removal of Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum TOLF Using Ultrasonic and Conventional Osteotomes
07:12

Laminectomy for the Removal of Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum TOLF Using Ultrasonic and Conventional Osteotomes

Published on: April 21, 2023

3.4K

Cdc42 regulates cranial suture morphogenesis and ossification

Ryo Aizawa1, Atsushi Yamada2, Tatsuaki Seki3

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Ohta, Tokyo, Japan.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|March 12, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) is vital for cranial bone development. Loss of Cdc42 impairs intramembranous ossification by affecting Indian hedgehog and bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cdc42 (cell division cycle 42) is a small GTPase in the Rho protein family.
  • Previous studies generated Cdc42 conditional knockout mice (Cdc42fl/fl; Prx1-Cre) exhibiting limb and cranial bone deformities, but the cranial mechanism was unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Cdc42 in cranial bone development.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying Cdc42's function in osteogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Cdc42 conditional knockout mice (Cdc42fl/fl; Prx1-Cre) to study cranial bone development.
  • Analyzed gene expression related to cranial suture morphogenesis.

Main Results:

  • Loss of Cdc42 resulted in defective intramembranous ossification in cranial bone.
  • Observed decreased expression of key cranial suture morphogenesis genes, including Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).

Conclusions:

  • Cdc42 plays a critical role in cranial osteogenesis.
  • Cdc42-mediated cranial development is regulated by Ihh- and BMP-signaling pathways.
Keywords:
Cdc42Conditional knockout miceOsteogenesisSuture

More Related Videos

Improved Methodology for Studying Postnatal Osteogenesis via Intramembranous Ossification in a Murine Bone Marrow Injury Model05:10

Improved Methodology for Studying Postnatal Osteogenesis via Intramembranous Ossification in a Murine Bone Marrow Injury Model

Published on: February 7, 2025

726
An Explant Assay for Assessing Cellular Behavior of the Cranial Mesenchyme07:45

An Explant Assay for Assessing Cellular Behavior of the Cranial Mesenchyme

Published on: January 20, 2013

10.2K

Related Concept Videos

Morphogenesis02:19

Morphogenesis

Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
30.4K
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification01:29

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification

Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into ...
10.6K
Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
10.3K
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification01:24

Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification

Bone formation, or ossification, begins around the sixth to seventh week of embryonic development. Most bones develop from a cartilaginous template through the process of endochondral ossification. Cartilage formation begins when clusters of mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. These chondrocytes proliferate rapidly and secrete an extracellular matrix that becomes encased in a membrane called the perichondrium. The resulting cartilage model provides a template that resembles the...
8.9K
Neural Regulation01:37

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
43.3K
Epigenetic Regulation01:46

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
33.7K