Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling has positive effects on osteogenesis, but can have negative effects on cementogenesis

Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor-2 mRNA-binding protein 1 is associated with periodontal disease

Objective

To investigate the potential role of a novel m6A RNA regulator, Insulin-like Growth Factor-2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1), in periodontal disease pathogenesis.

Materials and methods

Gingival tissue samples from 60 periodontitis patients and 60 healthy individuals were analyzed for IGF2BP1 mRNA and protein expression via real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Additionally, Porphyromonas gingivalis Lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) -induced human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were evaluated for IGF2BP1 and proinflammatory cytokine expression. In silico functional analysis further explored potential molecular mechanisms.

Results

IGF2BP1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in the periodontitis group compared to the healthy group. Functional analysis implicated IGF2BP1 in regulating the IL-17 signaling pathway, a key player in inflammation. Pg-LPS treatment upregulated IGF2BP1 and proinflammatory cytokines in HGFs, supporting this finding.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that IGF2BP1 overexpression contributes to periodontitis pathogenesis, potentially through IL-17 signaling. Further research is needed to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms and explore IGF2BP1 as a potential therapeutic target or biomarker for this common oral disease.

Genetic polymorphisms linked to extreme postorthodontic external apical root resorption in Koreans

BACKGROUND

External apical root resorption (EARR) is a common undesirable outcome of orthodontic treatment, this study aimed to identify genetic polymorphisms associated with the susceptibility to extreme orthodontic-induced EARR in a Korean population using extreme phenotype analysis sampling.

METHODS

Genomic DNA was isolated from the saliva of 77 patients who underwent orthodontic treatment involving two maxillary premolar extractions. The patients were divided into two groups based on EARR values measured on periapical radiographs: The significant resorption group (SG, EARR ≥ 4 mm) and the normal group (NG, EARR < 2 mm). In the NG group, patients with EARR < 1 mm were named the non-resorption group (NonG). Targeted next-generation sequencing was performed using the screened single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and firth logistic regression analysis was used to determine genetic associations with EARR. Haplotype-based association analysis was performed for specific SNPs.

RESULTS

SNPs related to genes TNFSF11, TNFRSF11B, WNT3A, SFRP2, LRP6, P2RX7, and LRP1 were found to be significantly associated with severe EARR (p < 0.05, pre-Bonferroni correction p-values). Additionally, the haplotype CCA of rs17525809, rs208294, and rs1718119 P2RX7 had a higher frequency in the SG group.

CONCLUSION

Extreme phenotype analysis has identified eleven SNPs related to genes TNFSF11, TNFRSF11B, WNT3A, SFRP2, LRP6, P2RX7, and LRP1 that are associated with severe root resorption in the Korean population. These findings will contribute to the development of predictive diagnostic tools for identifying severe root resorption that may occur during orthodontic treatment.

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Craniomaxillofacial Osteocytes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There is a growing appreciation within the scientific community that cells exhibit regional variation. Whether the variation is attributable to differences in embryonic origin or anatomical location and mechanical loading has not been elucidated; what is clear, however, is that adult cells carry positional information that ultimately affects their functions. The purpose of this review is to highlight the functions of osteocytes in the craniomaxillofacial (CMF) skeleton as opposed to elsewhere in the body, and in doing so gain mechanistic insights into genetic conditions and chemically-induced diseases that particularly affect this region of our anatomy.

RECENT FINDINGS

In the CMF skeleton, elevated Wnt/β-catenin signaling affects not only bone mass and volume, but also mineralization of the canalicular network and osteocyte lacunae. Aberrant elevation in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway can also produce micropetrosis and osteonecrosis of CMF bone, presumably due to a disruption in the signaling network that connects osteocytes to one another, and to osteoblasts on the bone surface.