Salivary glands produce and secrete saliva, which is essential for maintaining oral health and overall health. Understanding both the unique structure and physiological function of salivary glands, as well as how they are affected by disease and injury will direct the development of therapy to repair and regenerate them. Significant recent advances, particularly in the OMICS field, increase our understanding of how salivary glands develop at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels; the signaling pathways involved, the dynamics of progenitor cell lineages in development, homeostasis and regeneration and the role of the extracellular matrix microenvironment. These provide a template for cell and gene therapies as well as bioengineering approaches to repair or regenerate salivary function.

中文翻译：

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唾液腺功能、发育和再生

唾液腺产生和分泌唾液，这对于维持口腔健康和整体健康至关重要。了解唾液腺的独特结构和生理功能，以及它们如何受到疾病和损伤的影响，将指导修复和再生唾液腺的疗法的发展。最近的重大进展，特别是在组学领域，增加了我们对唾液腺如何在细胞、分子和遗传水平上发育的理解；所涉及的信号通路、祖细胞谱系在发育、稳态和再生中的动态以及细胞外基质微环境的作用。这些为细胞和基因疗法以及修复或再生唾液功能的生物工程方法提供了模板。