Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025
07:17
Studying Orthodontic Tooth Movement in Mice
Published on: August 2, 2024
692
Notum regulates the cusp and root patterns in mouse molar
Dinuka Adasooriya1, Ju-Kyung Jeong2, Minjae Kyeong1
1Division of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea.
Scientific Reports
|June 13, 2024
Summary
Notum protein, a Wnt inhibitor, is newly found in developing tooth enamel knots. Its absence causes abnormal tooth crown and root patterns by affecting enamel knot size during development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Molecular signaling
- Craniofacial development
Background:
- Notum acts as a Wnt inhibitor in a negative feedback loop.
- Notum is expressed in odontoblasts, and its deficiency causes dentin defects and irregular tooth roots.
- The role of Notum in early tooth crown and root patterning is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the precise expression pattern of Notum during early tooth development.
- To elucidate the role of Notum in regulating tooth crown and root patterns.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Notum expression in mouse tooth development.
- Phenotypic analysis of Notum-deficient mice to observe tooth morphology.
- Investigation of the Wnt/Notum signaling pathway in tooth morphogenesis.
Main Results:
- Notum is newly identified in primary and secondary enamel knots (EKs) and dental papilla.
- Notum deficiency leads to enlarged secondary EKs, broader cusp tips, and altered crown outlines.
- Alterations in crown outline reduce cervical tongue length, causing root fusion in Notum-deficient mice.
Conclusions:
- The Wnt/Notum negative feedback loop regulates secondary EK size.
- Secondary EK size significantly impacts tooth crown and root patterning during morphogenesis.
- Notum plays a critical role in establishing normal tooth morphology.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Microtubules in Signaling
1.7K
The primary cilium, made up of microtubules, acts as antennae on the cell surfaces for relaying external stimuli into the cells. These fine hair-like structures are present, generally one per cell. These are non-motile cilia in a 9+0 microtubules arrangement, where the central pair of microtubules are absent. The primary cilia arise from the basal body embedded in the cell membrane. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) carries requisite proteins from the cytoplasm to the cilium because the primary...
1.7K
01:15Teeth
377
The formation of teeth, also known as odontogenesis, is a complex process that begins in utero, around the sixth week of embryonic development. There are three stages to this process: the bud stage, the cap stage, and the bell stage.
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
377
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
4.2K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
4.2K
01:30Neurulation
41.8K
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
41.8K