Chemically-defined organ culture of embryonic mouse tooth organs: morphogenesis, dentinogenesis and amelogenesis.

Chemically-defined in vitro conditions without serum have been identified which are permissive for embryonic mouse tooth organs to express morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation. In the absence of antibiotics, embryonic extracts, autologous and/or heterologous sera, molar tooth organs from Theiler stage 25 embryos (C57BL/6, A/Jax and Tabby mouse strains) routinely formed discrete dentin and enamel extracellular organic matrices within 10 days of continuous in vitro cultivation. Collagen and non-collagenous protein synthesis and secretion by differentiated cells within explants, between 9 and 10 days in vitro, were studied with light microscopic autoradiography. Finally, explants of embryonic mouse molar tooth organs have been maintained in organ culture for three week without serum supplementation.