doi:10.1369/jhc.6A7018.2006
Volume 55 (2): 127-140, 2007 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Extracellular Matrix-mediated Tissue Remodeling Following Axial Movement of Teeth
Department of Oral Biology (XL,YI,SH,CW,JD,TMG,TGHD) and Department of Orthodontics (XL,YI,SH,TMG,EB,CE,TGHD), University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, Chicago, Illinois, and Department of Pharmacology, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan (TF,AY) Correspondence to: Thomas G.H. Diekwisch, DMD, PhD (sc.), PhD (phil.), Professor and Head, Department of Oral Biology, Allan G. Brodie Sr. Endowed Chair for Orthodontic Research, Professor for Anatomy/Cell Biology, Bioengineering, Orthodontics, Periodontics, Director, Allan G. Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics, UIC College of Dentistry, 801 South Paulina, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: tomdkw{at}uic.edu
Tooth eruption is a multifactorial process involving movement of existing tissues and formation of new tissues coordinated by a complex set of genetic events. We have used the model of the unopposed rodent molar to study morphological and genetic mechanisms involved in axial movement of teeth. Following extraction of opposing upper molars, lower molars supererupted by 0.13 mm. Labeled tissue sections revealed significant amounts of new bone and cementum apposition at the root apex of the unopposed side following supereruption for 12 days. Newly apposited cementum and alveolar bone layers were approximately 3-fold thicker in the experimental vs the control group, whereas periodontal ligament width was maintained. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining indicated bone resorption at the mesial alveolar walls of unopposed molars and provided in tandem with new bone formation at the distal alveolar walls an explanation for the distal drift of molars in this model. Microarray analysis and semiquantitative RT-PCR demonstrated a significant increase in collagen I, integrin ß5, and SPARC gene expression as revealed by comparison between the unopposed molar group and the control group. Immunohistochemical verification revealed increased levels of integrin ß5 and SPARC labeling in the periodontal ligament of the unopposed molar. Together our findings suggest that posteruptive axial movement of teeth was accomplished by significant formation of new root cementum and alveolar bone at the root apex in tandem with upregulation of collagen I, integrin ß5, and SPARC gene expression. (J Histochem Cytochem 55:127140, 2007)
Key Words: tooth movement tooth eruption bone resorption matrix remodeling
THE CONCEPT that tooth movement is facilitated by extensive bone tissue reorganization was originally proposed by Sandstedt (1904)
Effects of the ECM on cell behavior are often mediated by integrin cell surface receptors and/or matricellular glycoproteins. Integrins are a family of cell surface receptors that attach cells to the matrix and affect cell cycle regulations, directing cells to live or die, to proliferate, or to exit the cell cycle and differentiate (Boudreau and Jones 1999 We have used the model of the unopposed rodent molar to study the effects of axial tooth movement on matrix remodeling and to identify matricellular mediators. As a first step, we have characterized the amount of mouse molar supereruption in this model using skeletal preparations, ultrathin ground sections, fluorescent labels, and histochemical bone markers. These studies demonstrated a significant degree of molar tooth supereruption associated with new cementum and alveolar bone mineralized tissue deposition. In addition, we have performed tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining to detect sites and levels of bone resorption in the periodontium and bony sockets of affected teeth. To reveal the molecular factors that might be involved in matrix remodeling during tooth movement, we have used an ECM gene-based microarray assay to identify candidate genes. The first three candidate genes that emerged from our preliminary studies were collagen I, integrin ß5, and SPARC. We then verified these findings using semiquantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Together our findings indicated that posteruptive axial movement of teeth involves significant formation of new apical root cementum and alveolar bone in tandem with upregulation of collagen I, integrin ß5, and SPARC gene expression.
Experimental Animals and Extraction Technique Swiss-Webster mice, 35 days old (Charles River; Wilmington, MA) were chosen as experimental animals. Animal experiments were approved by and performed according to the guidelines of the UIC Animal Care Committee. Mice were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Mice were anesthetized using ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (5 mg/kg). Following successful anesthesia, all three left-side maxillary molars were extracted (Figure 1 ). After extraction, pressure was applied to achieve hemostasis. Buprenorphine was administered as an analgesic SC at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg before ending the procedure. Doses of analgesic were administered every 12 hr for up to 2 days postprocedure. Mandibles from untreated animals were used as controls. For fluorescent labeling, fluorochromes were applied at concentrations of 50 mg/kg (tetracycline hydrochloride), 25 mg/kg (alizarin red), and 30 mg/kg (calcein blue).
Tissue Processing A group of 15 mice received an IP injection of tetracycline hydrochloride as a vital stain at the time of extraction. Subsequently, they received injections of alizarin red at 4 days and calcein blue after 8 days. Mice were sacrificed on day 12 by using CO2 gas and stored in 70% ethanol for overnight fixation. Tissues were dehydrated in a graded series of ethanols, followed by acetone, and then infiltrated with resin (Technovit 2000; EXAKT Technologies, Oklahoma City, OK). Subsequently, samples were embedded and prepared for undecalcified ground sections, fluorescent microscopy, and von Kossa's and Villanueva's Osteochrome stain. For immunohistochemistry, tissues of 15 mice were fixed with 10% buffered formalin for 1 week, decalcified in 5% EDTA for 2 weeks, and dehydrated in a graded series of ethanols. Subsequently, tissues were embedded in paraffin wax, cut into 5-µm-thick sections, and prepared for immunohistochemistry.
Morphometry Alveolar bone and cementum apposition were measured using computerized techniques by measuring the distance between the initially stained mineralized zone to the final margin of bone or cementum. Measurements were taken from sagittal sections through the center of the first and second molar. Values were compared between the experimental side and the control side using the paired t-test statistical analysis.
Histochemistry and von Kossa's Procedure
Microarray Technology mRNA was extracted from the tissues using Trizol LS Reagent (Invitrogen; Carlsbad, CA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Quality and quantity of the RNA was tested using spectrophotometry and agarose gel electrophoresis. Optimal quality of RNA from one mouse from each group was used, hybridized, and converted to cDNA via reverse transcription. cDNA was labeled by 32P isotope and exposed to a GEArray Q Series Mouse Extracellular Matrix and Adhesion Molecules Gene Array (SuperArray; Frederick, MD). The response of 96 genes associated with the ECM and adhesion molecules, plus positive and negative controls, was evaluated using a software package provided by SuperArray.
Semiquantitative RT-PCR
Immunohistochemistry
Measurements of relative levels of molar supereruption based on skeletal preparations were performed to determine skeletal dimensions of tooth movement. Whereas in control experiments the occlusal plane of the left and right molar was parallel to the baseline, there was a significant amount of supereruption on the unopposed side of the experimental group (Figure 1). The amount of molar supereruption on the unopposed side in comparison to the control side was 0.13 mm (±0.06 mm) after 12 days. Changes in mineralized tissue dimensions were assessed using fluorescent bone markers, and changes were measured on mid-root sagittal ultrathin ground sections using fluorescent microscopy. Our results revealed highly significant differences in the thickness of alveolar bone and cementum apposition in the unopposed (experimental) group vs the opposed (control) group in the unopposed mouse molar model (88.26 µm experimental vs 28.64 µm control for new alveolar bone and 78.81 µm experimental vs 30.61 µm control for new cementum). In comparison, levels of mineralized tissue apposition were remarkably similar for alveolar bone and cementum (88.26 µm alveolar bone and 78.81 µm cementum for the experimental group and 28.64 µm alveolar bone and 30.61 µm cementum for the control group) (Figure 2 ; Table 1 ).
Based on the same sections that were used in the previously described labeling studies, mean PDL diameter was calculated from mid-root cut sagittal sections and compared between experimental and control group. In opposition to the dramatic changes observed in mineralized tissue apposition, PDL width remained unaffected from supereruption in unopposed situations, and total PDL width was 80 µm in both unopposed and opposed conditions (Figure 3
; Table 1).
Using the TRAP-staining procedure, distinct TRAP-positive demarcation linings containing multiple osteoclasts were recorded along the mesial alveolar wall of the unopposed molars (Figure 4 ). In contrast, control molars featured only a few single osteoclasts and no TRAP-positive alveolar linings (Figure 4). There were no osteoclasts or indications of TRAP activity at the apex of unopposed molars (Figure 4). These findings suggest the presence of bone resorption at the mesial alveolar walls.
To determine whether newly formed apical tissues were mineralized, von Kossa's technique for the detection of inorganic phosphate was applied. There was a significantly enhanced layer of mineralized cementum in the experimental group in comparison to the control group (Figure 5 ). The entire cellular cementum region was labeled by von Kossa's procedure, indicating that the newly formed apical cementum was mineralized (Figure 5). The mineralizing cementoblast contours at the ligament/cementum interface resembled patterns of normal apical cementogenesis (Figure 5).
ECM microarray comparisons were performed using mRNA extracted from root apices of supererupted and control molars and commercially available ECM gene-specific arrays. Our results based on microarray analysis of 96 selected ECM genes documented a 4.4-fold increase in collagen I gene expression, a 1.9-fold increase in integrin ß5 gene expression, and a 2.3-fold increase in osteonectin (SPARC) gene expression, whereas the remainder of the ECM genes investigated in this assay were significantly below the 2-fold threshold (Table 2 ).
Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis and densitometry were performed to verify microarray data on changes in ECM gene expression in unopposed molar root tissues. Using semiquantitative RT-PCR, all three gene products, collagen I, integrin ß5, and SPARC (osteonectin), demonstrated significantly higher expression levels in the unopposed molar group compared with the opposed molar control group, indicating an active involvement of ECM genes in tissue remodeling that occurs during axial tooth movement (Figure 6 ). There was no difference in ß-actin control gene expression levels between the experimental and the control group, and the negative control reaction (Neg) did not yield any product in all four experiments (Figure 6). Densitometric evaluation of RT-PCR results yielded a more than 2-fold increase in collagen I and SPARC gene expression and a slight increase (1.3-fold) in integrin ß5 gene expression (Figure 6E). To verify semiquantitative RT-PCR and microarray results on a protein level, immunohistochemical studies were performed using same-thickness adjacent sections and identical reaction conditions in a single experiment. Studies were focused on integrin ß5 and osteonectin, whereas the ubiquitous collagen I was not used for these studies. Immunoreactions revealed specific labeling reactions for both integrin ß5 and osteonectin in the PDL, whereas surrounding dental tissues such as alveolar bone or cementum exhibited little or no reaction products (Figure 7 and Figure 8 ). Labeling intensity for integrin ß5 and osteonectin in the unopposed molar group vs the control group was dramatically enhanced under otherwise identical conditions on adjacent same-thickness sections (Figure 7). Careful study of the micrographs revealed localization of integrin ß5 reaction products to the cell surfaces of PDL fibroblasts whereas osteonectin (SPARC) was distributed in ECMs including the adjacent bone and cementum matrix (Figure 8). Control immunoreactions were negative.
In the present study we have used the model of the unopposed mouse molar as a model system to investigate tissue dynamics and ECM remodeling following axial movement of teeth. Our data established that in the 12-day unopposed mouse molar model, unopposed molars erupted 0.13 mm above the level of the contralateral side. Historically, the model of the unopposed mouse molar was conceived in the early 1950s at the University of Illinois by Viennese émigrés to distinguish genetic and acquired traits in the functional anatomy of dentition but has been used more recently to assess patterns of posteruptive tooth movement (Schneider and Meyer 1965
Our results demonstrated that layers of similar thickness of both mineralized tissues, alveolar bone and cementum, were deposited at the root apex following removal of the antagonistic tooth. Morphometrical evaluation of fluorescent labels on ultrathin ground sections revealed that significant amounts of cementum and alveolar bone were gradually deposited at the apex of unopposed molars, indicating that posteruptive axial movement was greatly facilitated by the active deposition of mineralized tissues at the apex of the affected tooth. Whereas some investigators reported lesser amounts of cementum deposition in comparison to alveolar bone deposition (Schneider and Meyer 1965
Using the TRAP-staining procedure, we reported distinct TRAP-positive demarcation linings containing multiple osteoclasts along the mesial alveolar walls of unopposed molars. Secretion of TRAP has been associated with resorptive behavior of osteoclasts (Kirstein et al. 2006 Histochemical analysis using von Kossa's procedure suggested that the newly formed tissue at the apex of unopposed molars was mineralized cellular cementum. von Kossa's stain is a routine procedure to detect inorganic calcium phosphate deposits as a marker for mineralized tissues. Staining newly formed cementum via von Kossa's procedure established distinct boundaries between mineralized tissues and PDL similar to sharp mineralization boundaries present in normal cellular and acellular cementum. This procedure visualized that a new layer of mineralized cellular cementum was formed at the apical tip of the unopposed tooth root.
A number of authors have concluded that the PDL may not be an essential morphological contributor toward tooth eruption, as suggested in earlier studies by Gowgiel (1967)
To verify our findings of a potential upregulation of the ECM gene products collagen I, SPARC (osteonectin), and integrin ß5, as initially suggested by microarray-based results, we confirmed our findings using semiquanitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (SPARC and integrin ß5 only). We have refrained from performing immunoreactions for collagen I because of the abundance of this gene product at the tooth apex and because of inherent specificity issues with collagen antibodies. Our findings confirmed our initial microarray data suggesting that all three ECM gene products were greatly upregulated in the unopposed molar situation and that the ECM may play an important role during tissue remodeling that occurs during tooth movement. Based on these findings, we therefore speculate that matricellular regulators such as SPARC and integrin ß5 may act as transducers for mechanical stressors and affect the synthesis of collagen I and other ECM structural gene products, which in turn may be once more functionally modulated by SPARC to bind with collagens or to interact with hydroxyapatite to adapt to constantly changing mechanical stress portfolios imposed on the occluding and non-occluding tooth. Our data suggest that collagen I and SPARC are more concentrated in the unopposed molar PDL, whereas the width of the PDL remains constant. This phenomenon might be explained by spatial changes in other ECM components such as proteoglycans, as previously discussed (Cheng et al. 1999
Support for this study was kindly provided by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Grant R01 DE-15425 (to TGHD) and from the Brodie Endowment to the Department of Orthodontics, UIC College of Dentistry, Chicago, IL.
Received for publication May 14, 2006; accepted September 14, 2006
Anneroth G, Ericsson SG (1967) An experimental histological study of monkey teeth without antagonist. Odontol Revy 18:345359[Medline] Berkovitz BK (1971) The effect of root transection and partial root resection on the unimpeded eruption rate of the rat incisor. Arch Oral Biol 16:10331043[CrossRef][Medline] Berkovitz BK, Thomas NR (1969) Unimpeded eruption in the root-resected lower incisor of the rat with a preliminary note on root transection. Arch Oral Biol 14:771780[CrossRef][Medline] Bornstein P (2000) Matricellular proteins: an overview. Matrix Biol 19:555556[CrossRef][Medline] Boudreau NJ, Jones PL (1999) Extracellular matrix and integrin signalling: the shape of things to come. Biochem J 339:481488 Brekken RA, Sage EH (2000) SPARC, a matricellular protein: at the crossroads of cell-matrix. Matrix Biol 19:569580[CrossRef][Medline] Cahill DR, Marks SC Jr (1980) Tooth eruption: evidence for the central role of the dental follicle. J Oral Pathol 9:189200[CrossRef][Medline] Cheng H, Caterson B, Yamauchi M (1999) Identification and immunolocalization of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in tooth cementum. Connect Tissue Res 40:3740[Medline] Cohn SA (1966) Disuse atrophy of the periodontium in mice following partial loss of function. Arch Oral Biol 11:95105[CrossRef][Medline] Compagnon D, Woda A (1991) Supraeruption of the unopposed maxillary first molar. J Prosthet Dent 66:2934[CrossRef][Medline] Diekwisch TGH, Berman BJ, Gentner S, Slavkin HC (1995) Initial enamel crystals are not spatially associated with mineralized dentine. Cell Tissue Res 279:149167[CrossRef][Medline] Giancotti FG, Ruoslahti E (1999) Integrin signaling. Science 285:10281032 Gowgiel JM (1967) Observations on the phenomena of tooth eruption. J Dent Res 46:13251330 Karimbux NY, Nishimura I (1995) Temporal and spatial expressions of type XII collagen in the remodeling periodontal ligament during experimental tooth movement. J Dent Res 74:313318 Kirstein B, Chambers TJ, Fuller K (2006) Secretion of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase by osteoclasts correlates with resorptive behavior. J Cell Biochem 98:10851094[CrossRef][Medline] Levy G, Maillard M (1980) Histologic study of the effects of occlusal hypofunction following antagonist tooth extraction in the rat. J Periodontol 51:393399[Medline] McCulloch CA, Lekic P, McKee MD (2000) Role of physical forces in regulating the form and function of the periodontal ligament. Periodontology 24:5672[CrossRef][Medline] McCulloch CA, Melcher AH (1983) Continuous labeling of the periodontal ligament of mice. J Periodontal Res 18:231241[CrossRef][Medline] Melcher AH (1986) Periodontal ligament. In Bhaskar SN, ed. Orban's Oral Histology and Embryology, 10th ed. Toronto, Mosby, 198231 Nakagawa M, Kukita T, Nakasima A, Kurisu K (1994) Expression of the type I collagen gene in rat periodontal ligament during tooth movement as revealed by in situ hybridization. Arch Oral Biol 39:289294[CrossRef][Medline] Oppenheim A (19111912). Tissue changes, particularly of the bone, incident to tooth movement. American Orthodontist III:5767, 113132 Remelli M, Luczkowski M, Bonna AM, Mackiewicz Z, Conato C, Kozlowski H (2002) Cu (II) ion coordination to SPARC: a model study on short peptide fragments. N J Chem 27:245250 Sandstedt C (1904) Einige Beiträge zur Theorie der Zahnregulierung. Nordisk Tandlakare Tidskrift 5:236256 Sandy JR, Farndale RW, Meikle MC (1993) Recent advances in understanding mechanically induced bone remodeling and their relevance to orthodontic theory and practice. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 103:212222[Medline] Sato R, Yamamoto H, Kasai K, Yamauchi M (2002) Distribution pattern of versican, link protein and hyaluranic acid in the rat periodontal ligament during experimental tooth movement. J Periodontal Res 37:1522[CrossRef][Medline] Schneider BJ, Meyer J (1965) Experimental studies on the interrelations of condylar growth and alveolar bone formation. Angle Orthod 35:187199[Medline] Shimono M, Ishikawa T, Ishikawa H, Matsuzaki H, Hashimoto S, Muramatsu T, Shima K, et al. (2003) Regulatory mechanisms of periodontal regeneration. Microsc Res Tech 60:491502[CrossRef][Medline] Sringkarnboriboon S, Matsumoto Y, Soma K (2003) Root resorption related to hypofunctional periodontium in experimental tooth movement. J Dent Res 82:486490
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||