WHAT makes some teeth become chomping molars while others become piercing
incisors? The answer is a single protein, say researchers who have studied tooth
development in mice.
In experiments with mouse embryos, Paul Sharpe and his colleagues at Guy’s
Hospital in London showed that a protein called BMP-4 inhibits a gene that makes
teeth develop as molars. BMP-4 is usually only found in the region where
incisors are supposed to appear. In mouse embryos that lacked BMP-4, all the
would-be incisors grew into molars (Science, vol 282, p 1136).
Sharpe speculates that one day, gene therapy and a better understanding of
the genetics of tooth development could allow dental patients to grow new teeth.
“It’s a long way off, but we’re moving in the right direction,” he says.
