Professor Cho Ui-sik's research team at the School of Dentistry has attracted attention by identifying, for the first time, a specialized cell responsible for tooth root formation and the protein that regulates it.

Through this research, Professor Cho's team provided clues to tooth root formation. It is expected to contribute to research into treatments for periodontal disease, which affects more than 70% of adults, as well as studies on bioengineered teeth produced using stem cells derived from teeth.

This research was conducted with support from the General Researcher Support Program (Basic Research) and the Biomedical Technology Development Program promoted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation of Korea. It was published online in the latest issue (January 23) of the Journal of Dental Research (J Dent Res), an authoritative journal in the field of dentistry.

In particular, the International Association for Dental Research issued a commentary on the scientific significance and future prospects of the findings, spotlighting the work as a highly important international research achievement.

Although much research has been conducted on early tooth development and crown formation, the processes underlying tooth root (radicular) formation have not been well understood.

The research team, noting that the protein beta-catenin is abundant in odontoblasts, focused on odontoblasts rather than the dental epithelium. They found that if odontoblasts do not differentiate properly, dentin is not formed and tooth roots fail to develop.

* Beta-catenin: A signaling molecule that, in response to Wnt protein signals, translocates into the cell nucleus and regulates expression of target genes involved in cell proliferation and differentiation.
* Odontoblasts: Cells that secrete the matrix of dentin, the hard tissue that makes up the bulk of the tooth, and induce its mineralization.

Furthermore, by generating and observing tissue-specific genetically modified mice in which beta-catenin production was selectively inhibited only in differentiating odontoblasts, the team confirmed that, unlike normal mice, tooth roots did not form. This demonstrated that beta-catenin-mediated signaling is required for odontoblast differentiation.

Professor Cho emphasized, 'The discovery of differentiating odontoblasts and the elucidation of the mediating role of the beta-catenin gene are key elements for realizing future regeneration of teeth and periodontal tissue,' adding, 'They will contribute to the development of treatments for lost or damaged teeth and periodontal tissues and to research on bioengineered teeth.'