Development of craniofacial structures in transgenic mice with constitutively active PTH/PTHrP receptor

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) regulate calcium homeostasis, and PTHrP further regulates growth and development. A transgenic mouse carrying the constitutively active PTH/PTHrP receptor (HKrk-H223R) under the control of the mouse bone and odontoblast-specific α1(I) collagen promoter (Col1-caPPR) has been developed to demonstrate the complex actions of this mutant receptor in hard tissue formation. We have further characterized Col1-caPPR mice abnormalities in the craniofacial region as a function of development. Col1-caPPR mice exhibited a delay in embryonic bone formation, followed by expansion of a number of craniofacial bones including the maxilla and mandible, delay in tooth eruption and teratosis, and a disrupted temporomandibular joint (TMJ). These findings suggest that the Col1-caPPR mouse is a useful model for characterization of the downstream effects of the constitutively active receptor during development and growth, and as a model for development of treatments of human diseases with similar characteristics.