Expression and Role of Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor During Odontogenesis

In osteopetrotic mice with homozygous inactivating mutations in the colony stimulating factor 1 (Csf1op/op) or its receptor (Csf1r−/−) gene, teeth fail to erupt due to severe reduction in osteoclastogenesis. Dental abnormalities have been described in the unerupted teeth of these models, but it remains unclear whether these defects arise from direct roles of CSF1R in odontogenesis or indirectly from impaired bone remodeling associated with failed eruption. Here, we examined the spatiotemporal expression of CSF1R during tooth development and inhibited CSF1R pharmacologically in utero using PLX5622 during early stages of tooth morphogenesis. Teeth and surrounding bone were analyzed at embryonic and postnatal stages using histology and high-resolution micro-computed tomography. Embryonic CSF1R inhibition resulted in reproducible abnormalities in incisor and molar morphology that were evident before and after birth and were associated with loss of normal bone remodeling at the tooth–bone interface. In contrast, postnatal CSF1R inhibition did not affect the structure or continuous growth of adult incisors. Together, these findings demonstrate a temporally restricted, indirect role for CSF1R in odontogenesis that is independent of tooth eruption and associated with remodeling of the bony crypts surrounding developing teeth by CSF1R-dependent cells.