Positional Signalling and Patterning for Amelogenesis in Mouse Molar Tooth Development

Abstract

Oral mandibular epithelium determines the position and number of tooth organs. Cranial neural crest-derived ectomesenchyme provides inductive signals for (i) tooth shape, and (ii) sequential determination and expression of several different epithelial-derived enamel proteins. Inductive signalling follows a precise sequence, can be expressed in serumless, chemically-defined medium in vitro, and appears to be highly conserved during vertebrate evolution.

Key Words:

• enamel proteins
• autocrine
• paracrine
• in vitro