Developmental mechanisms regulating tooth succession and accession in the house shrew (Suncus murinus)

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The diphyodont tooth replacement in mammals is characterized by a single replacement of a deciduous dentition by a permanent dentition. Because the mouse never replaces its teeth, this study used the house shrew, Suncus murinus, as a model to investigate the control of the diphyodont replacement by successions and accessions of teeth. The developmental sequence of tooth germs in the house shrew indicates that two adjacent tooth germs do not develop simultaneously, but with a constant time lag. We suggest that this mode of tooth succession and accession can be explained by a sequential inhibitory cascade model in which the timing of initiation and the spacing of tooth development are determined by the inhibition from developmentally preceding adjacent tooth germs.