Dr. Jan Hu, professor, Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry and Dr. James Simmer, professor, Department of Biologic and Material Sciences have been able to characterize the genes that encode enamel matrix proteins resulting in the discovery of three novel genes; the protein enamelin and two enzymes, enamelysin and Kallikrein 4. Their work has significantly advanced the understanding of inherited enamel defects. They are a remarkable team and the leaders and best in their field.
More information is available (below) on the following:
DR. JAN HU | DR. JAMES SIMMER | RECENT PUBLICATIONS
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Hu Biosketch
Dr. Jan Hu is the director of pediatric dentistry.
Hu received her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from National Taiwan University in 1985. Three years later, she received a specialty certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Southern California. While at USC, Hu earned a PhD in craniofacial biology (1990), completed a postdoctoral fellowship in craniofacial molecular biology and held the position of clinical assistant professor.
In 1993, she joined the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where she was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure.
She joined the U-M School of Dentistry in 2002 as an associate professor with tenure. In 2005 she was named the director of pediatric dentistry and in 2006 was promoted to full professor.
Hu's Lab
[http://www.dent.umich.edu/depts/opd_php/research/hu.php]
Research Interests and Service
Hu's research focuses on the regulation of tooth formation and genetic mutations associated with dental structures. Her clinical interests are in the area of craniofacial anomalies and special patient care among pediatric dental patients.
In addition to her research and teaching, Hu holds several positions in professional societies, including the Science Affairs Committee of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, and on two editorial boards, the Journal of Dental Research and the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry. Hu is board certified by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and is a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society.
In 2005, Hu received one of the nation's most prestigious awards for dental research, the Gies Award, for the best paper published in the Journal of Dental Research.
Simmer Biosketch
[http://www.dent.umich.edu/depts/bms/personnel/faculty.php?uname=jsimmer]
Dr. Simmer is a professor in the Department of Biologic and Material Sciences.
Simmer received his DDS degree from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1980, and received his PhD in Biochemistry from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1990. He also completed post-doctoral training at the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology in the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in Los Angeles, California. Simmer was a member of the faculty in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from 1993 to 2002.
In 2002, Simmer returned to Michigan and joined the U-M faculty as associate professor with tenure in the Department of Biologic and Material Sciences and was promoted to full professor with tenure in 2006.
Simmer possesses excellent research and teaching credentials. His research interests are in the area of tooth development, enamel and dentin formation, biochemistry and molecular biology of amelogenins, and hypophosphatasia and amelogenesis imperfecta.
Simmer's teaching assignment is in the predoctoral basic science curriculum. He also teaches at the graduate level in courses dealing with molecular pathogenesis and genetic basis for oral disease.
In 2007, Simmer was selected as an IADR Distinguished Scientist Award and received the Basic Research in Biological Mineralization Award. This prestigious award is granted to only one individual per year. The recognition by his international peers confirms that Jim is a leader in the chemistry and biology of mineralized tissues and is the world's authority on the extracellular matrix of teeth.
Simmer Lab
[http://www.dent.umich.edu/depts/bms/research/simmerlab/]
Publications
The collective effort of the Hu and Simmer research labs has resulted in a host of publications.
This is a sample of recent publications:
- Iwata T, Yamakoshi Y, Hu JC, Ishikawa I, Bartlett JD, Krebsbach PH, Simmer JP. (2007) Processing of Ameloblastin by MMP-20. J Dent Res. Feb; 86(2):153-7. PMID: 17251515
- Iwata T, Yamakoshi Y, Simmer JP, Ishikawa I, Hu JCC (2007) Establishment of porcine pulp-derived cell lines and expression of rDSP and rDMP1. European J Oral Sciences 115(1): 48-56.
- JC-C Hu and Simmer JP (2007) Developmental Biology and Genetics of Dental Malformations, Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research May;10(2):45-52. Review. PMID: 17552940
- JC-C Hu, Y-H.P. Chun, T. Alhazzazi, and Simmer JP. (2007) Enamel Formation and Amelogenesis Imperfecta, Cells, Tissues, Organs 186(1):78-85. Review. PMID: 17627121
- Kobayashi K, Yamakoshi Y, Hu JC, Gomi K, Arai T, Fukae M, Krebsbach PH, Simmer JP. (2007) Splicing determines the glycosylation state of ameloblastin. J Dent Res. Oct;86(10):962-7. PMID: 17890672
- Papagerakis P, Lin H-K, Lee KY, Hu Y, Simmer JP, Bartlett JD, Hu JC-C Premature Stop Codon in MMP20 Causing Amelogenesis Imperfecta. J Dent Res. 2008 Jan;87(1):56-9. PMID: 18096894.
- Hu Y, Papagerakis P, Ye L, Feng JQ, Simmer JP, Hu JC. Distal cis-regulatory elements are required for tissue-specific expression of enamelin (Enam). Eur J Oral Sci. 2008 Apr;116(2):113-23. PMID: 18353004
- Kim JW, Lee SK, Lee ZH, Park JC, Lee KE, Lee MH, Park JT, Seo BM, Hu JC, Simmer JP. FAM83H mutations in families with autosomal-dominant hypocalcified amelogenesis imperfecta. Am J Hum Genet. 2008 Feb;82(2):489-94. PMID: 18252228
- Hu JC, Hu Y, Smith CE, McKee MD, Wright JT, Yamakoshi Y, Papagerakis P, Hunter GK, Feng JQ, Yamakoshi F, Simmer JP. Enamel defects and ameloblast-specific expression in enamelin knockout/LACZ knockin mice. J Biol Chem. 2008 Apr 18;283(16):10858-71. Feb 4; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18252720
- Yamakoshi Y, Lu Y, Hu JC, Kim JW, Iwata T, Kobayashi K, Nagano T, Yamakoshi F, Hu Y, Fukae M, Simmer JP. Porcine dentin sialophosphoprotein: Length polymorphisms, glycosylation, phosphorylation, and stability. J Biol Chem. 2008 May 23;283(21):14835-44. Mar 20; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18359767
- Lee SK, Hu JC, Bartlett JD, Lee KE, Lin BP, Simmer JP, Kim JW.Mutational spectrum of FAM83H: the C-terminal portion is required for tooth enamel calcification. Hum Mutat. 2008 May 16. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18484629
- Lu Y, Papagerakis P, Yamakoshi Y, Hu JC, Bartlett JD, Simmer JP.Functions of KLK4 and MMP-20 in dental enamel formation. Biol Chem. 2008 Jun 20. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18627287