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Defining the boundaries between potency and commitment. The human body hosts a number of diverse stem cell populations that sustain continuous turnover and self-renewal of their respective host tissues and provide a reservoir for new tissue formation. Similar to differentiated cells that reside within target tissues, these “adult” stem cell populations are originally derived from embryonic stem cells, but unlike differentiated cells retain various degrees of pluripotency or multipotency. Among tissue-specific adult stem cells, orofacial stem cells as a group balance the stability and plasticity of their developmental states while at the same time sustaining tissue-specific cell renewal capabilities for alveolar bone, dentin, cementum and periodontal ligament tissues. As much as this fine-tuned equilibrium is essential for the physiological function of orofacial stem cells during the self-renewal of host tissues, offsetting this balance by manipulating signaling, genetic and epigenetic factors harbors tremendous therapeutic opportunities.
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Figure 1: Periodontal progenitor cells and tissue engineering. (1) The periodontium contains various progenitor and stem cell populations, which can be mechanically harvested and cultured in vitro (2). In the Brodie lab, we have defined some of the extracellular matrix growth factors and surface properties that are involved in tissue-specific differentiation of periodontal progenitors (3). Following differentiation, progenitor populations can be used for tissue-specific regeneration of periodontal target tissues (4). |
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Dr. Xianghong Luan has performed many of the early studies on the CP27 gene and is now focused on the epigenetics of odontogenic stem cells. Dr. Yoshihiro Ito’s studies focus on CP27 function in development. He is now Mr. CP27 in the Brodie lab. Smit Dangaria, a Ph.D. student in the UIC Department of Bioengineering, has become the tissue engineering guru of the Brodie lab. All of our odontogenic stem cells are under Smit’s control, readily turning into lofty target tissues in his hands. |
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Dr. Smit Dangaria |
Dr. Xianghong Luan |
Dr. Yoshohiro Ito |
Please continue reading about -
Epigenetic Control of Stem Cell Pluripotency
Progenitor Cells and Craniofacial Tissue Engineering
