Seeing the Effects of TCDD on Baby Mouse Skulls

Scientists found out that TCDD, a harmful chemical, can mess up the skull development of baby mice if their mothers are exposed to it early in pregnancy. They did scans and saw that bones were not forming properly. Some sutures, which are the places where bones meet, were fused too early. Also, parts of the skull like the pterygoid processes were not growing right. By looking at cells from human baby palates, they found that TCDD stops important genes from working. These genes help make bones. The chemical does this by messing with signs between cells. When they blocked the chemical's signal, the bone problems got better. Even adding a certain hormone helped to fix the problem. So, TCDD can cause serious bone issues in developing skulls. It does this by switching off key genes that make bones through a special communication system between cells.