Molecular Morphogenetic Fields in the Development of Human Dentition

✍ Scribed by SERGIO R.P. LINE

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 277 KB
• Volume: 211
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5193
• DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.2001.2333

✦ Synopsis

The mapping of the "eld of in#uence of speci"c regulatory molecules can provide a great deal of information on the molecular strategies that underlie the changes in the developmental program and macroevolutionary process. The strategy in this study was to use the variation in the number of teeth in the a!ected individuals of three mutant families with hypodontia, to determine the relative in#uence (relative molecular morphogenetic "eld) of MSX1 and PAX9 genes on the dental "eld. The variations in the pattern of symmetry of tooth agenesis were used in order to estimate the developmental stability of these genes. The approach used in the present work can help to explore new hypotheses linking development with the patterning of dentition during mammalian evolution. Furthermore, the developmental changes can be linked to changes in the molecular morphogenetic "eld of speci"c genes.