Jimmy Hu*
CHS 73-010
10833 Le Conte Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Affiliations
Member, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area
Research Interests
As an embryo develops and primordial organs begin to take shape, a confluence of biochemical and mechanical signals instructs constituent cells to organize into specific patterns and forms. The Hu lab seeks to understand how these signaling cues modulate cell behaviors and gene expression in order to generate correct tissue morphologies and cellular identities during development. The lab uses several craniofacial structures as model systems, including the tooth and the ear, and interrogates them via mouse genetics, live imaging, and biomechanical techniques in order to determine how mechanical forces and biochemical signals are generated and used to control different cellular processes and drive morphogenesis. Dr. Hu’s team has a particular interest in how mechanical forces are integrated with molecular signaling pathways such as Hippo and Integrin, in order to modulate key developmental patterns, such as how epithelial tissues buckle, turn, and invaginate.
In addition to the primary patterning of an organ during development, once an organ is formed it must also be maintained or repaired in order to function normally throughout the lifespan of the animal. Many of these processes are dependent on proper regulation of resident somatic stem cells, which, like progenitor cells in embryos, are under the control of biochemical and mechanical cues. The Hu lab studies how tissue architecture contributes to stem cell regulations, focusing on understanding the roles of cell density, adhesion, and arrangement in governing cell proliferation and differentiation.
Ultimately, the Hu lab aims to extract principal mechanisms of tissue morphogenesis and stem cell regulation from these experiments in order to design and develop strategies for regenerative medicine.
Biography:
Jimmy K. Hu, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Oral Biology & Medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Dr. Hu has a long-standing interest in developmental and stem cell biology and has focused his research on understanding tissue morphogenesis and stem cell-based renewal during his graduate study at Harvard University and postdoctoral training at UCSF. He joined the UCLA in 2019 and has continued to investigate how organs are shaped and renewed, using teeth and craniofacial structures as model systems.
Publications
View a up-to-date publication list: MyNCBI
A selected list of publications:
- Calamari Zachary T, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Klein Ophir D Tissue Mechanical Forces and Evolutionary Developmental Changes Act Through Space and Time to Shape Tooth Morphology and Function BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, 2018; 40(12): e1800140.
- Du Wei, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Du Wen, Klein Ophir D Lineage tracing of epithelial cells in developing teeth reveals two strategies for building signaling centers The Journal of biological chemistry, 2017; 292(36): 15062-15069.
- Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Du Wei, Shelton Samuel J, Oldham Michael C, DiPersio C Michael, Klein Ophir D An FAK-YAP-mTOR Signaling Axis Regulates Stem Cell-Based Tissue Renewal in Mice Cell stem cell, 2017; 21(1): 91-106.e6.
- Li Chun-Ying, Hu Jimmy, Lu Hongbing, Lan Jing, Du Wei, Galicia Nicole, Klein Ophir D αE-catenin inhibits YAP/TAZ activity to regulate signalling centre formation during tooth development Nature communications, 2016; 7(1): 12133.
- Tschopp Patrick, Sherratt Emma, Sanger Thomas J, Groner Anna C, Aspiras Ariel C, Hu Jimmy K, Pourquié Olivier, Gros Jérôme, Tabin Clifford J A relative shift in cloacal location repositions external genitalia in amniote evolution Nature, 2014; 516(7531): 391-4.
- Chavez Miquella G, Hu Jimmy, Seidel Kerstin, Li Chunying, Jheon Andrew, Naveau Adrien, Horst Orapin, Klein Ophir D Isolation and culture of dental epithelial stem cells from the adult mouse incisor Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2014; 516(87): 391-4.
- Kuang-Hsien Hu Jimmy, Mushegyan Vagan, Klein Ophir D On the cutting edge of organ renewal: Identification, regulation, and evolution of incisor stem cells Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000), 2014; 52(2): 79-92.
- Biehs Brian, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Strauli Nicolas B, Sangiorgi Eugenio, Jung Heekyung, Heber Ralf-Peter, Ho Sunita, Goodwin Alice F, Dasen Jeremy S, Capecchi Mario R, Klein Ophir D BMI1 represses Ink4a/Arf and Hox genes to regulate stem cells in the rodent incisor Nature cell biology, 2013; 15(7): 846-52.
- Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, McGlinn Edwina, Harfe Brian D, Kardon Gabrielle, Tabin Clifford J Autonomous and nonautonomous roles of Hedgehog signaling in regulating limb muscle formation Genes & development, 2012; 26(18): 2088-102.
- Cooper Kimberly L, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, ten Berge Derk, Fernandez-Teran Marian, Ros Maria A, Tabin Clifford J Initiation of proximal-distal patterning in the vertebrate limb by signals and growth Science (New York, N.Y.), 2011; 332(6033): 1083-6.
- Gros Jerome, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Vinegoni Claudio, Feruglio Paolo Fumene, Weissleder Ralph, Tabin Clifford J WNT5A/JNK and FGF/MAPK pathways regulate the cellular events shaping the vertebrate limb bud Current biology : CB, 2010; 20(22): 1993-2002.
- Schlabach Michael R, Hu Jimmy K, Li Mamie, Elledge Stephen J Synthetic design of strong promoters Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010; 107(6): 2538-43.
- Purcell Patricia, Joo Brian W, Hu Jimmy K, Tran Pamela V, Calicchio Monica L, O’Connell Daniel J, Maas Richard L, Tabin Clifford J Temporomandibular joint formation requires two distinct hedgehog-dependent steps Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009; 106(43): 18297-302.
- Horsfield Julia A, Anagnostou Sasha H, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Cho Kitty Hsiao Yu, Geisler Robert, Lieschke Graham, Crosier Kathryn E, Crosier Philip S Cohesin-dependent regulation of Runx genes Development (Cambridge, England), 2007; 134(14): 2639-49.
- Hornstein Eran, Mansfield Jennifer H, Yekta Soraya, Hu Jimmy Kuang-Hsien, Harfe Brian D, McManus Michael T, Baskerville Scott, Bartel David P, Tabin Clifford J The microRNA miR-196 acts upstream of Hoxb8 and Shh in limb development Nature, 2005; 438(7068): 671-4.