DTUS2010

A few years ago, the science jour- nal Nature chose a teeth evolution work conducted by Jernvall and two post-doc researchers as one of the 15 educational topics in the field of evolutionary biology. The research published now was conducted with Jernvall’s third post-doc researcher, Isaac Salazar-Ciudad. Salazar-Ciudad currently works at the Autono- mous University of Barcelona in Spain. DT (Source: www.Eurekalert.com) Reference • Isaac Salazar-Ciudad, Jukka Jernvall. A computational model of teeth and the developmental origins of morphological variation. Nature, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/ nature08838. DENTAL TRIBUNE | September 2010 News 3A Each cusp of our teeth is regu- lated by genes that carefully con- trol its development. A similar genetic puzzle also regulates the differentiation of our other organs and of all living organisms. A team of researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki has devel- oped a computer model reproduc- ing population-level variation in complex structures such as teeth and organs. The research takes a step toward the growing of correctly shaped teeth and other organs. The results were published this month in Nature, the science jour- nal. Academy Professor Jukka Jern- vall and his team investigated the evolutionary development of mammal teeth. After more than 15 years of work, the team has com- piled so much data that the main aspects of a formula for making teeth are beginning to be clear. The model shows that regu- lation of tooth development is already well known. Teeth are a kind of “model species” for Jern- vall’s team, which means that the study results also tell about the development of other organs. A mathematical model applied to the teeth of ringed seals According to a mathematical com- puter model, a rather simple basic formula seems to be behind the complex gene puzzle resulting in tooth formations; the jungle of gene networks has a “patterning kernel” regulating the variation of teeth among individuals in the same population. In addition, the variation of human teeth from the incisors to the molar teeth may result from a single factor regulating cell divi- sion. The researchers tested their theoretical model, which is based on mouse tooth development, by investigating seal teeth. The Ladoga ringed seal collection of the Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Hel- sinki provided an ideal population sample for the research because dentitions are highly variable. New teeth and organs? The mathematical model pro- posed by the research team may provide a new kind of understand- ing on the formation of organisms’ three-dimensional shapes: How do different levels of ontogeny func- tion together? What factors guide the emergence of specific external features? The new research results may promote medical research, such as growing new organs. Jernvall is known as an interna- tional pioneer in cross-disciplinary evolutionary development biology. The formula for making teeth AD Could modern day research mean that one day in the future those miss- ing teeth can have new ones grown in a lab? (Photo/Michael Jung, www.dreamstime.com)