Formation and regeneration of a Wnt-responsive junctional epithelium.

Aim: To identify the molecular mechanisms mediating the persistent defensive functions of the self-renewing junctional epithelium (JE).

Materials And Methods: Two strains of Wnt reporter mice, Axin2 ;R26R and Axin2 , were employed, along with three clinically relevant experimental scenarios where the function of the JE is disrupted: after tooth extraction, after a partial gingivectomy, and after a complete circumferential gingivectomy.

Results: Using transgenic Wnt reporter strains of mice, we established the JE is a Wnt-responsive epithelium beginning at the time of its formation and that it maintains this status into adulthood.

Wnt-Responsive Stem Cell Fates in the Oral Mucosa.

Epithelia of the oral cavity exhibit variations in morphologies and turnover rates. Are these differences related to environment or to region-specific stem cell populations? A lineage-tracing strategy allowed visualization of Wnt-responsive cells, and their progeny, in the hard and soft palates. In both anatomic locations, Wnt-responsive basal cells self-renewed and gave rise to supra-basal cells.