A protein that helps form teeth could one day be used to allow damaged teeth to repair themselves.
This possibility is the focus of research led by Anne George, a professor in the Department of Oral Biology at the UIC College of Dentistry. George received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health to advance his studies of dentin phosphophorin.
Dentin phosphophorin is found primarily in dentin, which is the mineralized tissue that makes up the majority of each tooth beneath its enamel surface. The most acidic protein known in nature, it contributes to the calcification of the protein matrix to form dentin.
It is amazing how well dentin-forming cells, called odontoblasts, and adult stem cells in the dental pulp survive in the calcium-rich dental environment. We believe that this protein could serve as a protective mechanism for cell survival. We want to understand how this helps protect these cells and preserve their regenerative capacity to allow them to continue to form healthy dental tissue, for the life of the tooth. »
Anne George, Professor, Department of Oral Biology, UIC College of Dentistry
In the newly funded project, George and his team will focus on the role of dentin phosphophorin in autophagy, a cellular process and protective mechanism. “Autophagy is like garbage collection,” George said. It removes old or damaged parts of the cell and recycles their components.
In the dental pulp, the soft, living center of the tooth, autophagy may play a critical protective role in cases of inflammation and injury. Although calcium is essential for building mineralized tissues such as teeth and bones, it can also put cells under significant stress. George and his team believe that dental phosphophorin helps pulp stem cells deal with this stress, survive, and ultimately develop the cells responsible for producing dentin.
Studying how these cells adapt to stress could open new avenues for regenerative dental treatments.
“We’re trying to understand if we can use these proteins to regrow dentin,” George said.
Current dental treatments aim to eliminate defects, like cavities, and prevent them from spreading, George said.
“But during the drilling process, you remove cells from the tooth tissue and pulp and put a synthetic cap on top. It’s no longer a living tooth,” George said. “What we’re trying to do is use these proteins in a scaffold in the tooth cavity to regrow dentin, have a living matrix that can stop the cavity from spreading and maintain tooth function.”
George and his colleagues will combine studies of human dental pulp stem cells with animal models designed to study the molecular pathways that control autophagy and tissue regeneration.
The project continues George’s studies of biomineralization, the biological process that creates mineralized tissues like teeth and bones. His work revealed the key role of several proteins, including dentin matrix protein 1, which promotes the formation of calcium phosphate crystals during mineralization and can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.
“These proteins are not only structural proteins, but they are also signaling molecules,” George said. “They can communicate with other nearby cells, activate transcription factors and transfer material.”
Sustained support from the National Institutes of Health has allowed George’s lab to study complex scientific questions for many years while training graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and clinician-scientists, she said. UIC’s dental and doctoral dual degree programs expose future dentists to the scientific foundations of oral health, George added.
The new project also builds on George’s nearly three decades of research at the UIC College of Dentistry.
“From the moment I arrived at UIC in 1998, both the department and the college administration supported me in pursuing my scientific pursuit without interruption or interference,” she said.
Source:
University of Illinois at Chicago
Gn Health
