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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Molecular Innate Immunity
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1397727
This article is part of the Research Topic Oral Immunology – Interplay of Molecules, Cells and Oral Tissue Environment View all 4 articles

Single-Cell Sequencing Decodes the Secrets of the RAP Phenomenon of Corticotomy

Provisionally accepted
Fan zhibo Fan zhibo 1,2Li shenghong Li shenghong 1,2You liping You liping 1,2Lan yuxin Lan yuxin 1,2Zhong yutong Zhong yutong 1,2Ma yuefan Ma yuefan 1,2Xu jie Xu jie 1,2Xu Xiaomei Xu Xiaomei 1,3*
  • 1 Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
  • 2 Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
  • 3 Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Corticotomy-assisted tooth movement is commonly performed in clinics, however, its time-limited efficacy and the fear of surgery among patients significantly limit its clinical application. Hence, researchers have investigated non-invasive methods to accelerate tooth movement. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying corticotomy-assisted tooth movement are not fully understood. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing of digested alveolar bone identified a significant increase in iron metabolism-related genes post-corticotomy. Macrophages play a central role in this field.Following the dimensionality reduction of macrophages, we revealed a new developmental state via pseudotime analysis post-corticotomy. SCENIC analysis revealed that Atf3 is a key transcription factor influencing this new state. We found that Atf3+ macrophages were closely associated with osteoclasts. Moreover, cell chat revealed an increase in cellular communication between Atf3+ macrophages and other cell types after corticotomy. These findings suggested that Atf3+ macrophages might play a key role in corticotomy-accelerated tooth movement, thus providing potential targets for drug development.

    Keywords: Orthodontic tooth movement, orthodontic(s), single-cell sequencing, bone remodeling/regeneration, osteoclast(s)

    Received: 08 Mar 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 zhibo, shenghong, liping, yuxin, yutong, yuefan, jie and Xiaomei. 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: Xu Xiaomei, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.