Role of Wnt signaling in the biology of the periodontium.

Continuously erupting teeth have associated with them a continuously regenerating periodontal ligament, but the factors that control this amazing regenerative potential are unknown. We used genetic strategies to show that the periodontal ligament arises from the cranial neural crest. Despite their histological similarity, the periodontal ligament of continuously erupting incisor teeth differs dramatically from the periodontal ligament of molar teeth. The most notable difference was in the distribution of Wnt responsive cells in the incisor periodontal ligament, which coincided with regions of periodontal ligament cell proliferation. We discuss these findings in the context of dental tissue regeneration.

Wnt Acts as a Prosurvival Signal to Enhance Dentin Regeneration.

Wnt proteins are lipid-modified, short-range signals that control stem cell self-renewal and tissue regeneration. We identified a population of Wnt responsive cells in the pulp cavity, characterized their function, and then created a pulp injury. The repair response was evaluated over time using molecular, cellular, and quantitative assays. We tested how healing was impacted by wound environments in which Wnt signaling was amplified. We found that a Wnt-amplified environment was associated with superior pulp healing. Although cell death was still rampant, the number of cells undergoing apoptosis was significantly reduced. This resulted in significantly better survival of injured pulp cells, and resulted in the formation of more tertiary dentin. We engineered a liposome-reconstituted form of WNT3A then tested whether this biomimetic compound could activate cells in the injured tooth pulp and stimulate dentin regeneration. Pulp cells responded to the elevated Wnt stimulus by differentiating into secretory odontoblasts. Thus, transiently amplifying the body's natural Wnt response resulted in improved pulp vitality. These data have direct clinical implications for treating dental caries, the most prevalent disease affecting mankind.

Wnt signaling promotes Müller cell proliferation and survival after injury.

PURPOSE: Müller glia respond to retinal injury by a reactive gliosis, but only rarely do mammalian glial cells re-enter the cell cycle and generate new neurons. In the nonmammalian retina, however, Müller glia act as stem/progenitor cells. Here, we tested the function of Wnt signaling in the postinjury retina, focusing on its ability to influence mammalian Müller cell dedifferentiation, proliferation, and neurogenesis. METHODS: A 532 nm frequency doubled neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (ND:YAG) laser was used to create light burns on the retina of Axin2(LacZ/+) Wnt reporter mice. At various time points after injury, retinas were analyzed for evidence of Wnt signaling as well as glial cell response, proliferation, and apoptosis. Laser injuries also were created in Axin2(LacZ/LacZ) mice, and the effect of potentiated Wnt signaling on retinal repair was assessed. RESULTS: A subpopulation of mammalian Müller cells are Wnt responsive and, when Wnt signaling is increased, these cells showed enhanced proliferation in response to injury. In an environment of heightened Wnt signaling, caused by the loss of the Wnt negative regulator Axin2, Müller cells proliferated after injury and adopted the expression patterns of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). The Wnt-responsive Müller cells also exhibited long-term survival and, in some cases, expressed the rod photoreceptor marker, rhodopsin. CONCLUSIONS: The Wnt pathway is activated by retinal injury, and prolonging the endogenous Wnt signal causes a subset of Müller cells to proliferate and dedifferentiate into RPCs. These data raised the possibility that transient amplification of Wnt signaling after retinal damage may unlock the latent regenerative capacity long speculated to reside in mammalian neural tissues.

The acceleration of implant osseointegration by liposomal Wnt3a.

The strength of a Wnt-based strategy for tissue regeneration lies in the central role that Wnts play in healing. Tissue injury triggers local Wnt activation at the site of damage, and this Wnt signal is required for the repair and/or regeneration of almost all tissues including bone, neural tissues, myocardium, and epidermis. We developed a biologically based approach to create a transient elevation in Wnt signaling in peri-implant tissues, and in doing so, accelerated bone formation around the implant. Our subsequent molecular and cellular analyses provide mechanistic insights into the basis for this pro-osteogenic effect. Given the essential role of Wnt signaling in bone formation, this protein-based approach may have widespread application in implant osseointegration.