Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 5, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/srep14479
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Funding
- MRC New Investigator Research Grant
- Academy of Medical Sciences (Welcome Trust, British Heart Foundation, Arthritis UK)
- MRC [MR/M000125/1, MR/L016729/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) [AMS-SGCL10-Xavier] Funding Source: researchfish
- Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity [W1055] Funding Source: researchfish
- Medical Research Council [MR/L016729/1, MR/M000125/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- National Institute for Health Research [CL-2013-17-012] Funding Source: researchfish
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In common with most mammals, humans form only two dentitions during their lifetime. Occasionally, supernumerary teeth develop in addition to the normal complement. Odontoma represent a small group of malformations containing calcified dental tissues of both epithelial and mesenchymal origin, with varying levels of organization, including tooth-like structures. The specific cell type responsible for the induction of odontoma, which retains the capacity to re-initiate de novo tooth development in postnatal tissues, is not known. Here we demonstrate that aberrant activation of WNT signaling by expression of a non-degradable form of beta-catenin specifically in SOX2-positive postnatal dental epithelial stem cells is sufficient to generate odontoma containing multiple toothlike structures complete with all dental tissue layers. Genetic lineage-tracing confirms that odontoma form in a similar manner to normal teeth, derived from both the mutation-sustaining epithelial stem cells and adjacent mesenchymal tissues. Activation of the WNT pathway in embryonic SOX2-positive progenitors results in ectopic expression of secreted signals that promote odontogenesis throughout the oral cavity. Significantly, the inductive potential of epithelial dental stem cells is retained in postnatal tissues, and up-regulation of WNT signaling specifically in these cells is sufficient to promote generation and growth of ectopic malformations faithfully resembling human odontoma.
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