Involvement of hepatocyte growth factor in branching morphogenesis of murine salivary gland

概要

論文の詳細を見る
The involvement of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in salivary gland (SG) branching morphogenesis was investigated. The mouse submandibular gland (SMG) starts to develop at embryonic days 11.5-12 (E11.5-12), and branching morphogenesis occurs in the area between the mandibular bone and tongue between E14 and E16.5. Real-time RT-PCR showed that the expres sionof the <I>c-met</I>/HGF receptor gene in SMG increased and peaked between E14 and E16.5, concomitant with epithelial branching, and high levels of HGF mRNA were detected in the surrounding mesenchyme at E14-E15.5. Experiments with serum-free organ cultures demonstrated that the branching morphogenesis of SMG is regulated by interactions with the surrounding mesen chymederived HGF and <I>c-met</I> expression in SMG, which occur concomitant with epithelial branching. The data obtained also suggest that the HGF that is released tran sientlyfrom tongue muscles may contribute to the rapid development of SMG at the branching stage.
特定非営利活動法人日本口腔科学会の論文