UR-Linked

PROF, AST - Erin Bumann

Contact Detail

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Erin Bumann DDS PhD MS
bumanne@umkc.edu


Description

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Dr. Bumann’s innovative research involving avian embryos has focused on cells that influence bone development, in hopes of someday preventing or reducing craniofacial abnormalities in people. She also emphasizes mentoring the undergraduate, graduate and fellowship members of her research team. The lab has identified multiple developmental mechanisms that control the size and shape of the jaw skeleton. Our experiments not only reveal that neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) autonomously regulates cell cycle progression and the timing of osteogenic differentiation, but they also indicate that cell cycle and osteogenesis are inexorably linked as a developmental module in vivo as they are in vitro. Our work also uncovered a novel function for bone resorption, which is to help establish species-specific jaw length; and our transplant experiments indicate that the underlying molecular mechanisms stem from the ability of NCM to control the activity of its own derivatives (i.e., osteocytes) and also that of mesoderm-derived osteoclasts. We show the remarkable ability of NCM to maintain spatiotemporal control over the induction, differentiation, deposition, mineralization, and the resorption of bone is what integrates the determinants of jaw length across multiple embryonic stages, and is what empowers NCM with its ability to generate skeletal variation during disease and evolution.


Location
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School of Dentistry


Qualifications
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We are currently looking for undergraduates to join the lab!


Last Updated
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Oct 24, 2019

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