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| Monday, June 11, 2012
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4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Targeting the Kinome with Covalent Inhibitors
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| Description: |
MGH/Harvard Cutaneous Biology Research Center Seminar Series
Speaker – Nathanael S. Gray, Ph.D., Department of Cancer Biology – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at the Harvard Medical School
Location: MGH East, Building 149, Charlestown Navy Yard,
Isselbacher Auditorium, 7th Floor
Contact Person – Kevin J. Travers, B.S.
Contact Email – kjtravers@partners.org
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Kevin J. Travers, B.S.
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| Thursday, June 14, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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Molecular basis of periodontal ligament: Identification and characterization of periodontal ligament specific molecule, PLAP-1
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| Description: |
Speaker: Satoru Yamada, DDS, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry
Location: The Forsyth Institute, Seminar Room A, 245 First St., 17th Floor, Cambridge
Summary: Periodontal ligament (PDL) plays crucial roles in maintaining the homeostasis of tooth and tooth-supporting tissue, periodontium. In attempt to understand the molecular and genetic basis of PDL functions, we investigated the expression profile of active genes in human periodontal ligament obtained by collecting sequences with 3’-directed cDNA library, which faithfully represents composition of the mRNA population. The resulting expression profile showed that collagen types I and III were the most abundant genes and osteogenesis-relating genes, such as osteonectin and periostin were highly expressed. In the gene expression profile of human PDL, we found a novel gene which was highly expressed in PDL, but not in other tissue-cDNA libraries. We identified that it codes a novel protein, which is a new member of class I of small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan family. We designated it periodontal ligament associated protein-1 (PLAP-1). Using a combination of molecular and cellular approach, we have shown that PLAP-1 plays a specific role(s) in the periodontal ligament as a negative regulator of cytodifferentiation and mineralization, probably by regulating BMP-2 activity to prevent the periodontal ligament from developing non-physiological mineralization, such as ankylosis.
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Pam Quattrocchi
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Week of Sunday, June 10, 2012
