Dihydrotestosterone Stimulates Proliferation and Differentiation of Fetal Calvarial Osteoblasts and Dural Cells and Induces Cranial Suture Fusion

Abstract

Androgen stimulation of dural cells and osteoblasts isolated from fetal calvaria promotes cell proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation and can induce cranial suture fusion. These results suggest that sex steroid hormone signaling may stimulate sutural osteogenesis by means of osteodifferentiation of dural cells, thus explaining the male prevalence of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis.