Theme: Stem Cell Biology in Craniofacial Tissues
Sponsored by: Mineralized Tissue
Description: The human body contains a number of stem cell populations that contribute to organ formation during embryonic development, or 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 tissue, these adults stem cell populations are originally from embryonic stem cells, but unlike differentiated cells retain various degrees of pluripotency or multipotency.  These adult stem cell populations carry unique genetic and epigenetic signatures as they are characterized by specific gene expression profiles and epigenetic patterns which in turn correlate with their self-renewal and differentiation potential.  Epigenetic factors regulate gene expression and give stem cells unique capabilities to commit a particular cell type fate.  Epigenetic mutation and disorder may change stem cell function and result in human diseases.  This symposium will highlight presentations related to epigenetic regulation of developmental gene expression, disease mechanisms involving mutation in chromosome modifying genes in adult stem cells, the role of chromatin factors in development, and epigenetic regulation of dental stem cell fate.  We anticipate that this symposium will provide new insights into the profound role of epigenetic factors in craniofacial development and disease.
Learning Objectives:
Here we will present recent advances in our understanding of the effect of histone deacetylases and histone demethylases in craniofacial development and progenitor differentiation. We will also highlight the effect of histone exchange and chromatin modifications in tooth development. Workshop participants will gain an understanding of the types of epigenetic modifications that affect craniofacial development.
They will also learn which epigenetic modifications control stem cell fate and may be useful for tissue engineering.
At the end of the session, participants will have gained insights into epigenetic modifiers as powerful research tools to ask key questions in development, stem cell biology, and tissue engineering.