Objective Type I myosins are molecular motors necessary for glucose transport in the cytoplasm and initiation of transcription in the nucleus. Two of these, MYO1H and MYO1C, are paralogs which may be important in the development of malocclusion. The objective of this study was to investigate their gene expression in the masseter muscle of malocclusion subjects. Two functionally related proteins known to contribute to malocclusion were also investigated: KAT6B (a chromatin remodeling epigenetic enzyme which is activated by MYO1C) and RUNX2 (a transcription factor regulating osteogenesis which is activated by KAT6B). Design Masseter muscle samples and malocclusion classifications were obtained from orthognathic surgery subjects. Muscle was sectioned and immunostained to determine fiber type properties. RNA was isolated from the remaining sample to determine expression levels for the four genes by TaqMan® RT-PCR. Fiber type properties, gene expression quantities and malocclusion classification were compared. Results There were very significant associations (P<0.0000001) between MYO1C and KAT6B expressions. There were also significant associations (P<0.005) between RUNX2 expression and masseter muscle type II fiber properties. Very few significant associations were identified between MYO1C and masseter muscle fiber type properties. Conclusions The relationship between MYO1C and KAT6B suggests that the two are interacting in chromatin remodeling for gene expression. This is the nuclear myosin1 (NM1) function of MYO1C. A surprising finding is the relationship between RUNX2 and type II masseter muscle fibers, since RUNX2 expression in mature muscle was previously unknown. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the role of RUNX2 in adult masseter muscle.

No abstract