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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1569533
This article is part of the Research Topic Molecular Basis of Craniofacial Abnormalities View all 6 articles
p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Regulates Craniofacial Growth and Morphology in Postnatal Development
Provisionally accepted
Byron Zhao 1
Jinsook Suh 1 Yan Zhang 1
Eric Yin 1
Chiho Kadota-Watanabe 1 In Won Chang 2
Jun Yaung 2 Isabelle Lao-Ngo 1
Nathan M. Young 1
Reuben Han-Kyu Kim 2 Ophir D Klein 1,3
Christine Hong 1*- 1 University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
- 2 University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States
- 3 Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States
Craniofacial abnormalities are among the most prevalent congenital defects, significantly affecting appearance, function, and quality of life. While the role of genetic mutations in craniofacial malformations is recognized, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the role of p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR ) in craniofacial development by comparing wild-type (p75 NTR+/+ ) mice against p75 NTR -deficient (p75 NTR-/-) knockout mice. We employed histology, micro-CT surface distance, volumetric analysis, and geometric morphometric analysis to assess craniofacial development and growth. On postnatal day 7 (P7), p75 NTR-/-mice exhibited reduced skull length compared to wild-type controls. By P28, micro-CT analysis revealed significant reductions in calvarial bone volume and trabecular bone thickness in p75 NTR-/-mice. Geometric morphometric analysis identified significant shape alterations in the nasal, parietal, and occipital regions, with p75 NTR-/-mice showing a shortened cranium and tapered nasal bone morphology. These findings highlight the critical role of p75 NTR in regulating postnatal craniofacial development. Disruption of p75 NTR signaling impairs both the growth and morphological integrity of craniofacial structures, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of congenital craniofacial abnormalities. In the future, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which p75 NTR mediates craniofacial development may offer valuable insights for future targeted therapeutic strategies for craniofacial defects.
Keywords: P75 NTR, CD271, NGF, Craniofacial Development, craniofacial morphogenesis, Calvarial development, Geometric morphometric analysis
Received: 01 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Suh, Zhang, Yin, Kadota-Watanabe, Chang, Yaung, Lao-Ngo, Young, Kim, Klein and Hong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Christine Hong, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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