Diagnostische Pathologie: Open Access

Abstrakt

Wnt Signaling and Histological Characteristics of Odontogenic Tumors

Keisuke Nakano, Kiyofumi Takabatake, Hotaka Kawai, Saori Yoshida, Hatsuhiko Maeda, Toshiyuki Kawakami and Hitoshi Nagatsuka

We examined Notch signaling in oral tumors; most of our reported findings are based on immunohistochemical studies of Notch expression in odontogenic tumors. In our investigation, we suggested that Notch signaling is involved in cell differentiation and epithelial-mesenchymal interaction in odontogenic tumors. In addition, Jagged is strongly expressed as a ligand of Notch in odontogenic tumors, and Jagged-Notch signaling may play an important role in odontogenic tumorigenesis. Wnt is expressed during tooth development and may be involved in odontogenic tumor cell differentiation and epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Interestingly, Wnt and Notch expression sites are similar in odontogenic tumors, suggesting that Notch and Wnt signals cooperatively affect tumor formation.