Expression of ATF4 and RUNX2 in periodontal tissue of pressure side during orthodontic tooth movement in rat.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the expression levels of ATF4 and RUNX and their interactions in periodontal tissue of the pressure side during orthodontic tooth movement. METHODS A total of 72 SPF level male Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study, they were divided into 9 groups randomly and 8 rats in each group. The expression changes of ATF4 and RUNX2 in periodontal tissue of pressure side at different straining time point were detected with RT-PCR and Western blotting methods. The morphological changes of cells in the tissue samples were observed by HE staining. The data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS The expression levels of ATF4 and RUNX2 increased during orthodontic tooth movement and were related with the movement time. They reached highest after straining for 24 h and began to decrease after straining for 12 d. CONCLUSIONS The expression levels of ATF4 and RUNX2 in periodontal tissue can increase transiently induced by stress, which play a role in the process of osteogenesis and reconstruction of periodontal tissue during orthodontic tooth movement.