Abstract
Every tissue is composed of multiple cell types that are developmentally, evolutionary and functionally integrated into the unit we call an organ. Teeth, our organs for biting and mastication, are complex and made of many different cell types connected or disconnected in terms of their ontogeny. In general, epithelial and mesenchymal compartments represent the major framework of tooth formation. Thus, they give rise to the two most important matrix–producing populations: ameloblasts generating enamel and odontoblasts producing dentin. However, the real picture is far from this quite simplified view. Diverse pulp cells, the immune system, the vascular system, the innervation and cells organizing the dental follicle all interact, and jointly participate in transforming lifeless matrix into a functional organ that can sense and protect itself. Here we outline the heterogeneity of cell types that inhabit the tooth, and also provide a life history of the major populations. The mouse model system has been indispensable not only for the studies of cell lineages and heterogeneity, but also for the investigation of dental stem cells and tooth patterning during development. Finally, we briefly discuss the evolutionary aspects of cell type diversity and dental tissue integration.
Highlights
Every tissue is composed of multiple cell types that are developmentally, evolutionary and functionally integrated into the unit we call an organ
Multiple epithelial cell subtypes are interacting with other tissues, maintaining stem cell properties, producing the tissue bends, and generating ameloblasts—the key enamel-producing cell type
Beginning at the very onset of tooth development, a rather uniform dental epithelium gives rise to a folded structure known as a dental lamina, which in turn yields a complex structure of quite different epithelial-derived cells
Summary
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Craniofacial Biology and Dental. Citation: Krivanek J, Adameyko I and Fried K (2017) Heterogeneity and Developmental Connections between. Every tissue is composed of multiple cell types that are developmentally, evolutionary and functionally integrated into the unit we call an organ. Epithelial and mesenchymal compartments represent the major framework of tooth formation. They give rise to the two most important matrix–producing populations: ameloblasts generating enamel and odontoblasts producing dentin. We outline the heterogeneity of cell types that inhabit the tooth, and provide a life history of the major populations. The mouse model system has been indispensable for the studies of cell lineages and heterogeneity, and for the investigation of dental stem cells and tooth patterning during development. We briefly discuss the evolutionary aspects of cell type diversity and dental tissue integration
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