Motivated by the evidence that odontogenic keratocysts are associated with
genetic alterations, we examined the possibility that development of other
odontogenic cysts can be attributed to gene malfunctioning, in particular t
o the PTCH gene. Cyst epithelium was examined for polymorphism on chromosom
e 9q22.3, the region that contains the PTCH gene. Loss of heterozygosity (L
OH) for the D9S287 marker and/or D9S180 marker was observed in about 50% of
dentigerous cysts, whereas radicular cysts gave no indication of lesions i
n the PTCH region. As a more direct argument for PTCH involvement in cystic
growth, we report evidence of PTCH expression in dentigerous cyst lining,
which indicates malfunctioning of the relevant signaling pathway. While we
found no reason to believe that PTCH should be associated with radicular cy
sts, other genes may be implicated in their development. We performed immun
ohistochemical comparisons of keratocysts, dentigerous and radicular cysts
for the nonmetastatic marker Nm23. A graded response placed radicular cysts
in between the other two types, suggesting a similar neoplastic character
for their epithelial proliferation.