Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Detection and Quantitation of Label-Retaining Cells in Mouse Incisors using a 3D Reconstruction Approach after Tissue Clearing
Published on: June 10, 2022
Quantitative label-free optical technique to analyze the ultrastructure changes and spatiotemporal relationship of
Hao Liu1, Zhouyi Guo1, Luoqi Mo1
1SATCM Third Grade Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Photonics Technology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, GuangzhouKey Laboratory of Spectral Analysis and Functional Probes, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
New advances in the molecular mechanism of enamel mineralization reveal the practical significance of regenerative medicine in clinical transformation. Muscle segment homeobox 2 (MSX2), a transcription factor, is recently reported to be closely associated with the amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). To elucidate the biomineralization framework of AI enamel, herein, Msx2 gene mutant mice are investigated by dual-mode noninvasive spectroscopic analytical techniques for the first time. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) records the depth-resolved structural information of mice teeth, where a dramatic decrease in enamel thickness and quality occurred in Msx2 deficient (Msx2-/- ) enamel. And it has the advantages of fast, noninvasive and low cost. Raman spectroscopy, a powerful molecular fingerprint tool, further witnesses an imbalance of inorganic and organic contents in Msx2-/- enamel. In addition, abnormal expression of MSX2 also influences the spatial distribution of phosphate in enamel according to the Raman spectral imaging. Therefore, OCT integrated with Raman spectroscopy provides the quantitative label-free optical parameters of both the physical structure and chemical component in mice enamel, which strengthens the understanding of the biomineralization process underlying the Msx2-related amelogenesis imperfect.
