Epidermal growth factor and epidermal growth factor-receptor expression in the mouse dental follicle during tooth eruption.

When the role of exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) during tooth eruption was first demonstrated it was strongly suggested that EGF was a natural regulator of eruption. Recent immunohistochemical studies have shown that EGF and EGF-receptors are localized in the dental follicle, alveolar bone and ameloblasts before and during the prefunctional stage of eruption. Localization of mRNA for EGF has also been successfully attempted in mouse incisors and molars. The purpose now was to study the temporal expression of EGF and EGF-receptor genes in the coronal aspect of the dental follicle. First molars from 2-, 5-, 9- and 11-day-old CD-1 mouse neonates were incubated in 1% trypsin for 1.5 h at 4 degrees C. Follicles were carefully separated from the coronal aspect of the molar and processed for RNA extraction. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed on each mRNA sample. EGF expression was detected at day 2, 5 and 9 in the coronal aspect of the follicle whereas EGF-receptor expression was found at day 9 only. These findings strongly suggest that cells of the dental follicle are the target of EGF at a specific stage of their development and therefore may have a very important role during eruption.