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Figure 4. Upper jaw teeth in adult mouse mouth 26 days after transplantation of E14.5 molar explants. Molar tooth primordia with surrounding tissue dissected from E14.5 C56/B6 mice were cultured in vitro for 24 hrs. The mouse dentition consists of one incisor separated from three molars by a toothless region (diastema) in each quadrant of the mouth. A small incision was made in the soft tissue of the maxilla in the diastema of adult (over 20 wks) male mice. The explants (approximately 2 mm) were placed in the incision and fixed with surgical glue (Vetbond, 3M, St. Paul, MN, USA). The transplanted explants were left for 26 days, during which animals were fed a soft diet. After fixation and decalcification, wax serial frontal sections were cut and stained (H&E). A, incisors. B, first molar. C, second molar. D, third molar. E, ectopic tooth in diastema region (between A and B). Arrows show ectopic bone. F, High magnification of boxed area in E, showing periodontal-ligament-like tissue. d = dentin. pd = pre-dentin. Scale bars: 1.2 mm (A-D); 1.0 mm (E); 50 µm (F).
