The Molecular Mechanism for Positioning Tooth Forming Sites is Conserved in Aves

摘要

It is well known that medern Aves lack dentition, unlike their toothed ancestors of the Jurassic and cretaceous periods. However, in the chick oral cavity a rudiment forms that resembles the lamina stage of the mammalian molar tooth germ. We have previously addressed the molecular basis for this secondary loss of tooth formation in Aves by analyzing in chick embryos the status of molecular pathways known to regulate mouse tooth development.