中文题名 / Chinese title: 特化干细胞微环境使鳄鱼牙齿能够重复更新
英文题名 / English title: Specialized stem cell niche enables repetitive renewal of alligator teeth.
作者 / Authors: Wu P, Wu X, Jiang TX, Elsey RM, Temple BL, Divers SJ, Glenn TC, Yuan K, Chen MH, Widelitz RB, Chuong CM.
期刊 / Journal: PNAS
年份 / Year: 2013
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1213202110
论文链接 / Article: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1213202110
摘要来源 / Abstract source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/23671090

英文摘要原文 / Original English abstract
Reptiles and fish have robust regenerative powers for tooth renewal. However, extant mammals can either renew their teeth one time (diphyodont dentition) or not at all (monophyodont dentition). Humans replace their milk teeth with permanent teeth and then lose their ability for tooth renewal. Here, we study tooth renewal in a crocodilian model, the American alligator, which has well-organized teeth similar to mammals but can still undergo life-long renewal. Each alligator tooth is a complex family unit composed of the functional tooth, successional tooth, and dental lamina. Using multiple mitotic labeling, we map putative stem cells to the distal enlarged bulge of the dental lamina that contains quiescent odontogenic progenitors that can be activated during physiological exfoliation or artificial extraction. Tooth cycle initiation correlates with β-catenin activation and soluble frizzled-related protein 1 disappearance in the bulge. The dermal niche adjacent to the dermal lamina dynamically expresses neural cell adhesion molecule, tenascin-C, and other molecules. Furthermore, in development, asymmetric β-catenin localization leads to the formation of a heterochronous and complex tooth family unit configuration. Understanding how these signaling molecules interact in tooth development in this model may help us to learn how to stimulate growth of adult teeth in mammals.

摘要依据的主要发现 / Findings based on the abstract
鳄鱼每颗牙齿与替代牙及牙板组成单元。牙板膨大区的静息祖细胞在换牙时被激活，并伴随β-catenin及微环境信号变化。
Each alligator tooth forms a unit with a replacement tooth and dental lamina. Quiescent progenitors in a lamina bulge activate during tooth replacement, alongside changing beta-catenin and niche signals.

摘要依据的结论 / Conclusions based on the abstract
重复换牙依赖持续存在的祖细胞微环境和协调信号，为哺乳动物牙再生提供比较模型。
Repeated tooth renewal depends on a maintained progenitor niche and coordinated signaling, offering a comparative model for mammalian tooth regeneration.

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