Osteocytes are the main mechanosensory cells during orthodontic and physiologic bone remodeling. However, the question of how osteocytes transmit mechanical stimuli to biological responses remains largely unanswered. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins are important for the formation and function of cilia, which are proposed to be mechanical sensors in osteocytes. In particular, IFT80 is highly expressed in mouse skulls and essential for ciliogenesis. This study aims to investigate the short- and long-term effects of IFT80 deletion in osteocytes on orthodontic bone remodeling and physiological bone remodeling in response to masticatory force. We examined 10-week-old experimental DMP1 CRE+.IFT80f/f and littermate control DMP1 CRE-.IFT80f/f mice. After 5 and 12 days of orthodontic force loading, the orthodontic tooth movement distance and bone parameters were evaluated using microCT. Osteoclast formation was assessed using TRAP-stained paraffin sections. The expression of sclerostin and RANKL was examined using immunofluorescence stain. We found that the deletion of IFT80 in osteocytes did not significantly impact either orthodontic or physiologic bone remodeling, as demonstrated by similar OTM distances, osteoclast numbers, bone volume fractions (bone volume/total volume), bone mineral densities, and the expressions of sclerostin and RANKL. Our findings suggest that there are other possible mechanosensory systems in osteocytes and anatomic limitations to cilia deflection in osteocytes in vivo.
Keywords: IFT80; RANKL; bone remodeling; cilia; orthodontic tooth movement; osteocyte; sclerostin.