Odontoblast β-catenin signaling regulates fenestration of mouse Hertwig's epithelial root sheath.

The interaction between Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) and the adjacent mesenchyme is vitally important in mouse tooth root development. We previously generated odontoblast-specific Ctnnb1 (encoding β-catenin) deletion mice, and demonstrated that odontoblast β-catenin signaling regulates odontoblast proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of odontoblast β-catenin signaling in regulation of HERS behavior has not been fully investigated. Here, using the same odontoblast- specific Ctnnb1 deletion mice, we found that ablation of β-catenin signaling in odontoblasts led to aberrant HERS formation. Mechanistically, odontoblast-specific Ctnnb1 deletion resulted in elevated bone morphogenetic protein 7 (Bmp7) expression and reduced expression of noggin and follistatin, both of which encode extracellular inhibitors of BMPs. Furthermore, the levels of phosphorylated Smad1/5/8 were increased in HERS cells. In vitro tissue culture confirmed that BMP7 treatment disrupted the HERS structure. Taken together, we demonstrated that odontoblast β-catenin signaling may act through regulation of BMP signaling to maintain the integrity of HERS cells.