Immunolocalization of CD44s in human teeth

CD44s (standard form) is an integral membrane glycoprotein, which plays animportant role in both cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion. Few studies havedemonstrated that CD44s and its isoforms are involved in mediating cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions in the periodontium and surrounding tissues. Thepresent study was undertaken as so little data are available on its presence inhuman adult hard dental structures. Six extracted premolars from children, aged10-12 years, were used in the present study. They were fixed in 10% neutralbuffered formalin and decalcified in 7.5% EDTA for 2 weeks. Immunohistochemistry to reveal binding of a monoclonal mouse anti-CD44s was used for the localization of CD44s. The antibody was applied directly onto the tissue section and theslides incubated overnight (4 degrees C) in a humidified chamber. In serialsagittal sections of teeth, binding of anti-CD44s was seen in odontoblasts,periodontal ligament fibroblasts and cementoblasts. Our findings present evidencethat CD44s is localized in periodontal ligament fibroblasts, cementocytes andodontoblasts of mature human teeth. CD44s may be involved in tooth celldifferentiation and later in cell-matrix interaction and in the accumulation ofinflammatory cells in the extravascular connective tissue in these sites.