Characterization of Fam20C expression in odontogenesis and osteogenesis using transgenic mice

Abstract

Expression of a regulator of tooth mineralization starts late during embryonic development in mice, continuing until four weeks after birth. Jian-Jun Hao and his colleagues at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the USA created a mouse model for tracking when and where the protein Fam20C is expressed in the body. The researchers engineered mice to make green fluorescence protein, a visible marker, in any tissues where Fam20C would normally be found. They saw the green glow in the dentin-forming cells of the teeth and in bone-forming cells of the craniofacial and alveolar bones starting at day 17.5 of embryonic development. The green signal decreased after the mice reached four weeks of age. The findings — and the mouse model itself — could lead to therapies for dentin and bone defects.

Keywords

Fam20C / green fluorescence protein report / mouse / promoter

References

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