Developmental biology
Our developmental biology questions include regulation of tooth shape, number, and size. We mostly use the mouse as a model system, but also study other rodents, such as voles and hamsters. Our techniques are focused on culture systems and quantitative developmental biology to modify tooth shape. Some of the studied genetic pathways are mutated in human diseases, and we use both microarray and RNAseq methods to study gene networks involved in tooth development.
Above: Tomography reveals high surface complexity of mouse molars cultured with a cocktail
of three kinds of molecules in culture medium (bottom row). Epifluorescence of ShhGFP allows visualization of
teeth (left), microtomography allows reconstruction of shapes (middle), and topographic OPC method allows
determination of surface complexity (right).
Harjunmaa et al. (2012) Nature
