# Context dependent roles of Isl1 during mouse incisor renewal

> **NIH NIH R56** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $383,563

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Enamel is the outer covering of teeth and is unique in that it is the hardest tissue in our body and one of the
few human tissues that cannot regenerate. This inability for human enamel to regenerate is attributed to the
loss of ameloblasts or enamel-forming cells and their precursor cells upon eruption of teeth into the oral cavity.
Thus, it would be powerful if we could direct adult stem cells that normally do not produce enamel to
differentiate into ameloblasts and unravel the molecular mechanisms involved. Two novel genetically modified
mouse lines developed in my laboratory allows us to induce inactivation of the Isl1 gene (which leads to
ectopic enamel formation in adult mice) or deletion of cells expressing Isl1 (which allows us to remove putative
dental epithelial stem cells for functional analysis). By analyzing context dependent roles of Isl1 during mouse
incisor renewal, we will advance our molecular and cellular understanding of stem cell specification, ameloblast
differentiation, and enamel mineralization - pre-requisite for future innovations and improvements to current
diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic methods in dentistry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241703
- **Project number:** 1R56DE029455-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew H. Jheon
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $383,563
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-14 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241703

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241703, Context dependent roles of Isl1 during mouse incisor renewal (1R56DE029455-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241703. Licensed CC0.

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