Stem cell niches in mammals

Apoptosis in developmental and repair-related human tooth remodeling: A view from the inside

“…The p75 receptor is re-expressed in odontoblasts at the anterior part of the rodent incisor [31]. These odontoblasts are eliminated by apoptosis, thus keeping the total number of odontoblasts constant in the continuously growing incisor [31,33]. Taken together these findings suggest an important role of NGF for either the survival or apoptosis of odontoblasts (Fig.…”

Nanodentistry: Combining Nanostructured Materials and Stem Cells for Dental Tissue Regeneration

“…Nanotechnology may be used to create artificial microenvironments that will direct stem cells or progenitor cells towards a precise fate and function. A big challenge is to engineer materials that resemble the structural complexity of stem cell niches, which represent specific anatomic locations homing stem cells and preventing them from exiting the mitotic cycle [106]. ECM molecules, such as collagen, fibronectin, laminin and proteoglycans, represent the noncellular components of the niches and are important for the creation of a particular microenvironment (e.g., tooth, bone or heart).…”

Role of stem cells in tooth bioengineering

“…Two different stem cell niches have been suggested in the teeth: the cervical loop of rodent incisor for epithelial stem cells (EpSC) 2,3 and a perivascular niche in the adult dental pulp for mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). 4 In rodent incisors, the proliferation of EpSC, which is located at the cervical loop area, is governed by signals from the surrounding mesenchyme.…”

“…5 Molecules such as Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMPs), Activin, and Follistatin are also expressed inside the stem cell niche and are known to regulate its maintenance and functionality through a complex integrative network. 3,5,6 In the dental pulp, MSCs are thought to reside in a perivascular niche, 3 but little is known on the exact location and molecular regulation of this niche. The Ephrin (Eph) receptor tyrosine kinase family of guidance molecules appears to be involved in the maintenance of the human dental pulp perivascular niche.…”