OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that polycystin-1 (PC1) is involved in orthodontic tooth movement as a mechanical sensor.
METHODS: The response to force application was compared between three mutant and four wild-type 7-week-old mice. The mutant mice were PC1/Wnt1-cre, lacking PC1 in the craniofacial region. An orthodontic closed coil spring was bonded between the incisor and the left first molar, applying 20 g of force for 4 days. Micro-computed tomography, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and tartrate-resistent acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining were used to study the differences in tooth movement among the groups.
RESULTS: In the wild-type mice the bonded molar moved mesially, and the periodontal ligament (PDL) was compressed in the compression side. The compression side showed a hyalinized zone, and osteoclasts were identified there using TRAP staining. In the mutant mice, the molar did not move, the incisor tipped palatally, and there was slight widening of the PDL in the tension area. Osteoclasts were not seen on the bone surface or on the compression side. Osteoclasts were only observed on the other side of the bone-in the bone marrow.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a difference in tooth movement and osteoclast activity between PC1 mutant mice and wild-type mice in response to orthodontic force. The impaired tooth movement and the lack of osteoclasts on the bone surface in the mutant working side may be related to lack of signal from the PDL due to PC1 deficiency.