Vps4b heterozygous mice do not develop tooth defects that replicate human dentin dysplasia I.

Background: Vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 4B (VPS4B) is a member of the ATP enzyme AAA protein family, and is mainly involved in protein degradation and cell membrane fusion. Recently, a dominant mutation in this gene was identified in human dentin dysplasia type I (DD-I). Herein, we report the generation of Vps4b knockout (Vps4b KO) mice; however, the homozygous Vps4b KO mutation was embryonic lethal at the early stages of embryo development, and we therefore report the results of heterozygous mutant mice.

Results: Mice heterozygous for Vps4b did not develop tooth defects replicating human DD-I. Immunohistochemistry showed that gene KO was successful, as there was decreased expression of Vps4b in heterozygous mice; hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining also showed that the width of the pre-dentin zone was increased in heterozygous mice, although the arrangement of the odontoblasts was not significantly different from wild-type (WT) mice. However, H&E staining showed no obvious abnormalities in the bones of heterozygous mice. Moreover, stereomicroscopic and X-ray radiography results indicated no abnormal manifestations in teeth or bones. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the volume and density of dentin and enamel, as well as skeletal analysis, including the volume and separation of trabecular bone analyzed by micro-CT, all showed no differences between Vps4b heterozygotes and WT mice. In addition, there also were no significant differences in bone or cartilage mineralization as evaluated by Alcian blue-Alizarin red staining.

Conclusions: The heterozygous Vps4b KO mice do not develop tooth defects that replicate human DD-I and this is likely to be due to differences in tooth development between the two species. Consequently, further studies are needed to determine whether mice are an appropriate animal model for human tooth diseases.