Gene expression profiles of mandible reveal features of both calvarial and ulnar bones in the adult rat.

Objectives: Limb and mandibular alveolar bone of the mandible are susceptible to disuse osteopenia, whilst skull and mandibular basal bone appear to resist excessive generalised bone loss. We wanted to compare the site-specific transcriptome of anatomically and functionally distinct bones to confirm the composite nature of the mandible at the molecular level.

Methods: Gene expression profiles were obtained for the mandible, ulna, and calvaria of adult male rats using Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.