Editorial: Skull and craniofacial development and regeneration

Le résumé fourni par la source

Editorial on the Research Topic Skull and craniofacial development and regenerationCraniofacial morphogenesis involves the complex interplay of cell adhesion molecules, epigenetic regulators, transcription factors, overlapping signaling pathways, and mechanotransducive forces to coordinate the most intricate anatomy of the human body, the head (Pina et al., 2023).Disruption of these morphogenetic cues during development by genetic and environmental factors can lead to congenital craniofacial structural anomalies, such as orofacial clefts, tooth agenesis, and craniosynostosis (Leslie et al., 2017; Oliver et al., 2020b).In this Research Topic, we are pleased to highlight an original article from Cabrera Pereira et al. unveiling the region-specific role of a gene encoding a LIM-domain homeodomain transcription factor (Lmx1b), which plays a key role in patterning the cranial mesenchyme into bone and sutures.Intriguingly, this study also found that two key sutures in the skull-the coronal and the sagittal suture-are derived from unique embryological stem cell niches.Such findings may lead to more targeted preclinical study models and therapeutic solutions to appropriately harness stem cell type-specific function and localization in vivo.Mechanotransduction is a process by which mechanical stimuli are converted into biochemical signals through specific mechanisms, and this results in the activation of downstream signaling pathways with specific effects on cell behavior.Increasing interest has evolved in this area concerning development and regeneration.We highlight in this Research Topic a mini-review article from Lin et al. on the critical role of mechanical stimulation to guide cells and tissues in the craniofacial skeleton.Specifically, the roles of mechanosensitive Piezo1 and Piezo2 ion channels in craniofacial bone, tooth, and periodontal tissue are succinctly discussed, presenting the latest relevant evidence with implications for potential treatments and managements of dental and orofacial diseases and deformities.Another original article in this Research Topic presents novel insight into the transcriptional localization of key signaling effectors and modulators in the Wnt pathway -Wnt10a, Sost, and Dkk1-to better understand the molecular interaction to bring about tooth organ morphogenesis.High-resolution spatial expression patterns, corroborated by single-cell RNAsequencing of whole tooth organs, shed novel light on the regulatory mechanisms involving Wnt signaling during development in this context.Taken together, these findings shed novel light on critical craniofacial developmental processes, which may lead to the development of preclinical therapeutic models for further discovery and future clinical innovation.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.