Yukiki Nakano, DDS, PhD
Dr. Yukiko Nakano is a dentist scientist studying the basic science of tooth and bone biology with particular focus on the field of children’s oral health.
Dr. Nakano’s research interests are the mechanisms that direct the development of bio-mineralized tissues. During tooth and bone formation, differentiation and activity of participant cells are systematically regulated by extracellular and intracellular signals, allowing cells to deposit the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Particularly, she is interested in the mechanisms of how the cells that form bone and tooth, modulate matrix production, and the role of phosphatases in matrix biomineralization.
She is also interested in how to successfully integrate dental implants, orchestrate tooth movement during orthodontic treatment, and recover functionality of teeth and bone after oral surgery, which all require well-controlled bone modeling, augmentation and/or regeneration. Nakano’s research is elucidating the understanding of certain fundamental aspects of how bone volume, shape, density and its mineralization are regulated.
Unlike other mineralized tissues, in tooth enamel formation, extracellular matrix deposition and mineralization occurs in unique and sequential steps giving a great advantage in easier examining cellular activity regulating biomineralization. To understand the mechanisms how the enamel forming cells (ameloblasts) switch their function and thus execute the tooth enamel matrix formation and mineralization, Nakano’s research projects are currently focusing on three steps of ameloblast differentiation. 1) How ameloblast precursors (stem cell) becomes a pre-secretory ameloblast; 2) How pre-secretory ameloblasts differentiate in to a matrix secreting cells; 3) How maturation ameloblasts regulates enamel matrix mineralization.
Nakano received both a DDS and a Ph.D. degree from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU). Following her training and research as a trainee and later as an assistant professor at TMDU, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Currently she is a Research Assistant Professor at UCSF.
Dr. Nakano is a member of the steering committee at COR.
Education
Tokyo Medical and Dental University 2000, DDS
Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University 2005, PhD in Dental Science
McGill University 2005-2009, Postdoctoral Fellow in Dentistry and Biomineralization
Selected Research and Publications
Nakano Y, Beertsen W, VanDenbos T, Kawamoto T, Oda K, Takano Y 2004 Site-specific localization of two distinct phosphatases along the osteoblast plasma membrane: tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase and plasma membrane calcium ATPase. Bone 35(5):1077-1085.
Nakano Y, Toyosawa S, Takano Y 2004 Eccentric localization of osteocytes expressing enzymatic activities, protein, and mRNA signals for type 5 tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). J Histochem Cytochemi 52(11):1475-1482.
Nakano Y, Addison WN, Kaartinen MT 2007 ATP-mediated mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cultures. Bone 41(4):549-61.
Nakano Y, Forsprecher J and Kaartinen MT 2010 Regulation of ATPase activity of transglutaminase 2 by MT1-MMP: Implications for mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cultures. J Cell Physiol 223(1):260-9.
Stahl J, Nakano Y, Horst J, Zhu L, Zhang Z, Liu H, Li W, DenBesten PK, 2015 Exon4 Transcribed Amelogenins Influence Enamel Biomineralization. J Dental Res (In Press)
Yan Zhang, MD, PhD
Dr. Yan Zhang is a cell biologist, whose research interests focus on ameloblast differentiation, and the roles of transcriptional regulator, specially AT-rich sequence-binding protein-1 (SABT1) in context of fluoride regulation.
More specifically, she is interested in the following questions:
-
What are the key signaling pathways from the dental mesenchyme, and intrinsic ameloblastic transcription factor networks that regulate ameloblast cell fate and differentiation?
-
How does fluoride affect the differentiation of ameloblasts and hippocampal dentate hilar cells to influence the amelogenesis and behavior of the rodents through altering the retention of chromosome organizer SATB1?
-
What are the biomarkers for the expansive and aggressive tumors of the jaw, known as ameloblastoma? The current surgical treatment causes disfiguring surgical removal of the mandibular (jaw) bone. By identifying biomarkers for ameloblastoma, new treatment approaches can be developed to specifically target ameloblastoma cells and reduce the need for surgical jaw resections.
Zhang is a member of the international and American Associations for Dental Research.
Education
Zhang completed her PhD training in the Department of Pathology at Tongji Medical University in China. She received postdoctoral training at the Burnham Institute and the University of California at San Francisco.
Selected Publications
Zhang Y, Lu H, Dazin P, Kapila YL. Squamous cell carcinoma cell aggregates escape suspension-induced, p53-mediated anoikis: fibronectin and integrin alphav mediate survival signals through focal adhesion kinase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2004, 279(46): 48342-48349.
Zhang Y, Yan QM, Li W, DenBesten PK. Fluoride down-regulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 20 in human fetal tooth ameloblast-lineage cells in vitro. European Journal of Oral Science. 2006 May; 114Suppl 1:105-110.
Zhang Y, Li W, Chi HS, Chen J, DenBesten PK. JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway mediates the fluoride-induced down-regulation of MMP-20 in vitro. Matrix Biology, 2007 Oct;26(8):633-41.
Zheng LW, Warotayanont R, Stahl J, Kunimatsu R, Klein O, Denbesten PK, Zhang Y. Inductive ability of human developing and differentiated Dental Mesenchyme. Cells Tissues Organs. 2013;198: 99-110
Zhang Y, Kim JY, Horst O, Nakano Y, Zhu L, Radlanski RJ, Ho S, Besten PK. Fluorosed Mouse Ameloblasts have increased SATB1 retention and Gαq activity. PLoS One. 2014 Aug 4; 9(8): 1-12