Expression of the matrix gla protein (MGP) gene in different developmental stages of mouse mandibular first molar root

The objective of the study was to analyse the expression of the matrix Gla protein gene, MGP, in different developmental stages of mouse mandibular first molar root. Laser microdissection was used to cut dental follicular tissues of the first molar in mouse embryos at 17 days of development (E17) and two days after birth (PN2). Total RNA of the dental follicular tissues was extracted to prepare a microarray for screening the MGP gene expression at E17 and PN2, and results were verified using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. The microarray results from the tooth germ tissue taken from mice at different developmental stages showed that MGP gene expression in tissue taken at E17 was higher than that in tissue taken at PN2. PCR results confirmed the microarray results (P<0.05). This study examined the expression of the MGP gene in mouse germ tissues obtained by laser microdissection at different times during development (pre-natal and post-natal). These data show that the MGP gene expression decreased after birth, indicating a role of the MGP gene in development of the tooth root