Yukiko Nakano, DDS, PhD, is a dental and craniofacial biologist whose research centers on the molecular regulation of mineralized tissue formation in bone and teeth. Her main goal is to understand how cells coordinate the deposition, growth, and maintenance of mineralized matrices, and how disruptions in these regulatory processes cause hereditary and systemic mineralization disorders.
Her research explores how biomolecular factors—regulated by enzymes, transporters, and receptors—govern mineralization, with a particular focus on the roles of phosphatase enzymes in bone and tooth formation. In enamel, her work investigates the mechanisms behind the alternative splicing of the amelogenin gene and the production of a splicing-derived microRNA involved in enamel development and the cause of hereditary enamel defects. Her research also looks at the link between post-translational modifications of enamel matrix proteins and systemic conditions that can affect enamel maturation and mineralization.
By combining molecular genetics, cell biology, and in vivo models, Dr. Nakano aims to identify the regulatory pathways that control mineralization in craniofacial tissues and to develop new methods for preventing and repairing mineralization issues.
