Nagata Mizuki, Gadhvi Gaurav T, Komori Taishi, Arai Yuki, Tsutsumi-Arai Chiaki, Chu Angel Ka Yan, Nye Seth N, Yang Yuntao, Orikasa Shion, Takahashi Akira, Carlsson Peter, Zheng W Jim, Welch Joshua D, Ono Noriaki, Ono Wanida
Department of Orthodontics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, Houston, TX, USA.
Department of Periodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 2;16(1):6061. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-61050-3.
The alveolar bone is a specialized mineralized structure supporting the lifelong functionality of the tooth in mastication. The alveolar bone develops from the dental follicle (DF) during tooth root formation due to deliberate epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. However, how DF progenitor cell fates are regulated toward alveolar bone osteoblasts remains unknown. We find that Hedgehog signaling activities are transiently activated during the onset of tooth root formation and alveolar bone formation. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP)-expressing DF cells are highly responsive to Hedgehog signaling, yet constitutive Hedgehog activation using Pthrp-creER and Ptch1-floxed alleles potently suppresses alveolar osteoblast and ligament differentiation of PTHrP DF cells, resulting in striking susceptibility to alveolar bone loss. Concomitant inactivation of Hedgehog-target Foxf1 factor in Hedgehog-activated PTHrP DF cells partially rescued alveolar bone defects. Therefore, the Hedgehog-Foxf pathway needs to be suppressed to drive alveolar bone osteoblast fates of PTHrP DF cells, unraveling a unique tooth-specific mechanism of bone formation requiring deliberate on-off regulations of Hedgehog signaling.
牙槽骨是一种特殊的矿化结构,支持牙齿在咀嚼过程中的终身功能。在牙根形成过程中,由于特定的上皮-间充质相互作用,牙槽骨由牙囊(DF)发育而来。然而,DF祖细胞如何向牙槽骨成骨细胞定向分化仍不清楚。我们发现,在牙根形成和牙槽骨形成开始时,刺猬信号通路活性会短暂激活。表达甲状旁腺激素相关蛋白(PTHrP)的DF细胞对刺猬信号高度敏感,但使用Pthrp-creER和Ptch1-floxed等位基因进行组成型刺猬信号激活会强烈抑制PTHrP DF细胞的牙槽成骨细胞和韧带分化,导致对牙槽骨丧失的显著易感性。在刺猬信号激活的PTHrP DF细胞中同时失活刺猬信号靶标Foxf1因子可部分挽救牙槽骨缺陷。因此,需要抑制刺猬-Foxf通路来驱动PTHrP DF细胞向牙槽骨成骨细胞分化,揭示了一种独特的牙齿特异性骨形成机制,该机制需要对刺猬信号进行精确的开关调控。
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