Evaluation Summary:
Drs Zhao and Sharpe have highlighted the role of a relatively understudied cell type, the telocyte, in periodontitis, using a mouse model. Periodontitis is a widely occurring inflammatory disease of the gums, that will eventually progress to bone resorption and teeth that are embedded less favorably and will eventually fall out. This disease is linked to many other illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiac disease and even Alzheimer's disease, so more in depth knowledge is needed on cell types that play a role in the progression of the disease.
(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)