Zunyi_Zhang

Ph.D. (1999) University of Oslo, Norway	Zunyi Zhang, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Genetics in the Center for Oral Biology Primary Appointment: Department of Biomedical Genetics Center Affiliation: Center for Oral Biology
Research: Genetic and developmental control of mammalian dentition pattern
Contact Information: E-Mail: Zunyi_Zhang@urmc.rochester.edu
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 601 Elmwood Ave, Box # 611 Rochester, New York 14642	Phone: (585)273-1422 Fax: (585) 276-0190

Research Overview

Mammalian dentition is patterned by forming different tooth types on the oral surface of each side of the lower and upper jaws. Along the distal (rostral) and proximal (caudal) axis four types of teeth are formed in human, the incisors, canine, premolar, and molar teeth within each dental quadrant, whereas in the laboratory mouse, only incisor and molar teeth form, separated by the tooth-less region or, diastima between them. Mammalian tooth development begins as a local thickening of the oral epithelium. Similar to many other vertebrate organs, tooth initiation and morphogenesis are driven by a series of the interactions between the epithelium and underlying cranial neural crest-derived mesenchyme. These interactions are mediated by highly conserved reciprocal and sequential signaling networks composed of signal molecules, their receptors and transcription factors. The majority of signal molecules belong to families of BMP (Bone morphogenetic protein), SHH (Sonic hedgehog), FGF (Fibroblast growth factor) and WNT. Our goal at Dr. Rulang Jiang’s laboratory is to better understand the genetic and developmental mechanisms of the patterning of mammalian dentition using mouse genetic models. While significant advances have been made in last two decades for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying tooth development, there are still opens in our knowledge of how teeth are patterned in vivo. Osr2 encodes a zinc finger-containing transcription factor related to Drosophila Odd-skipped. In the early tooth development Osr2 gene exhibits dynamic expression pattern in neural crest-derived mandibular mesenchyme. We found that disruption of Osr2 gene in mice results in ectopic supernumerary tooth formation lingual to the mandibular molars. My current research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involving Osr2 in determining tooth field and patterning.

Recent Publications

Wang, S., Yu, X., Zhang, T., Zhang, X., Zhang, Z. Y., and Chen, Y. P. (2004). CPCL2 regulates the left-right asymmetry by repressing SHH expression in Hensen’s Node. Development 131, 4381-4391.

*Alappat, S. R., *Zhang, Z. Y., Suzuki, K., Zhang, X., Jiang, R., Yamada, G., and Chen, Y. P. (2005). The cellular and molecular etiology of isolated cleft secondary palate in FGF10 mutant mice. (* co-first autors). Dev. Biol 277, 102-113

Ogi, H., Suzuki, H., Ogino, Y., Kamimura, M., Mami, M., Ying, X., Zhang, Z. Y., Shinohara, M., Chen, Y. P., and Yamada, G. (2005). The ventral abdominal wall dysmorphogenesis of Msx1/Msx2 double-mutant mice. Anatomical Record 284A:424-430.

Yu, L., Gu, S., Alappat, S., Song, Y., Yan, M., Zhang, X., Zhang, G., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Z. Y., and Chen, Y. P. (2005) Shox-2-deficient mice exhibit a rare type of incomplete cleft secondary palate. Development 132, 4397-406

Hilliard, A., Yu, L., Gu, S. P., Zhang, Z. Y., and Chen, Y. P. (2005). Regional regulation of palatal growth and patterning along the anterior–posterior axis in mice. J. Anat. 207, 655-667.

*Song, Y., *Zhang, Z. Y., Yu, X., Yan, M., Zhang, X. Gu, S., Stuart, T., Liu, C., Reiser, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, Y. P. (2006). Application of lentivirus-mediated RNAi in studying gene function in mammalian tooth development. Dev Dyn 235,1347-1.m 357. (* co-first authors)

Lan, Y., Ryan, R. C., Zhang, Z. Y., Bullard, S. A., Bush, J. O., Maltby, K. M., Lidral, A. C., Jiang, R. (2006). Expression of Wnt9b and activation of canonical Wnt signaling during midfacial morphogenesis in mice. Dev Dyn 235, 1448-1454

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