Yan Jing, DMD, PhD

Biography

Dr. Yan Jing is clinician scientist who is trained in both basic and clinical sciences directly linked to mandibular biology and orthodontics. Her main researches focus on the key roles of chondrocyte-derived bone cells in condylar development and remodeling. As a joined trained Ph.D. student and then postdoctoral fellow, she spent over three years in Dr. Jian Q. Feng’s lab (Dallas, TX) on learning in vivo gene knockout studies, cell lineage tracing, Laser capture, and different histological imaging techniques. Since then, Dr. Jing was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics in Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.

Dr. Jing's major contribution to the field is to demonstrate that direct transformation of chondrocytes into bone cells is a critical developmental event during condyle development, rather than the old concept of hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis followed by bone marrow cell invasion. Our recent publication entitled “Chondrocytes Directly Transform into Bone Cells in Mandible Condyle Growth” was selected as the cover of the year in JDR 2015 and William J. Gies Award for Biological Research in JDR 2017 (JDR, Journal of Dental Research, the best one in dentistry). In addition, Dr. Jing has published 16 manuscripts and has won several Young Investigator Awards (shown in the “Honors”) in the last six years.

Education and Post-Graduate Training

• Postdoc (Skeletal biology), Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, 2016
• Ph.D., Stomatology (Orthodontics), Sichuan University, 2014
• Joint Training, Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, 2014
• M.S., Stomatology (Orthodontics), Sichuan University, 2011
• DMD, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China, 2008
• B.S., Stomatology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 2008

Research Interests

Dr. Yan Jing is a clinician scientist who was trained in both basic and clinical sciences directly linked to mandibular biology and orthodontics. Dr. Jing performs researches in craniofacial biology and orthodontics. Her major contribution to the field is to demonstrate that direct transdifferentiation of chondrocytes into bone cells is a critical event during condyle development, rather than the old concept of hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis followed by bone marrow cell invasion. The publication entitled “Chondrocytes Directly Transform into Bone Cells in Mandible Condyle Growth” was selected as the cover of the year in JDR 2015 and William J. Gies Award for Biological Research in JDR 2017 (JDR, Journal of Dental Research, the best one in dentistry). In another study about condyle formation and remodeling, Dr. Jing’s group identified that tendon cells, beyond their role in joint movement, function as key precursors for TMJ disc formation, condyle growth, and joint remodeling.

Recent Grants

• The novel roles of tendon in TMJ condyle formation and remodeling. NIH/NIDCR R03DE029541, 04/20-03/22, PI
• To define the novel roles of endochondrogenesis in mandible formation and trauma repair. NIH/NIDCR K08DE028593, 12/20-11/25, PI
• Development of sustained fluoride-releasing O-rings for the prevention of white spot lesions. AAOF/BRA, 07/20-06/21, PI
• Novel roles of chondrocyte-derived bone cells in mechanical strain-induced TMJ remodeling. AAOF/BRA, 07/17-06/18, PI

Awards

• AIMM/ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award, April 2018;
• William J. Gies Award for Biological Research in the Journal of Dental Research (Best journal in Dentistry), 2017 (First author in the paper: Chondrocytes Directly Transform into Bone Cells in Mandibular Condyle Growth, J Dent Res 94(12):1668-1675);
• The Cover of the year 2015 in the Journal of Dental Research (Best journal in Dentistry), 2015 (First author in the paper: Chondrocytes Directly Transform into Bone Cells in Mandibular Condyle Growth, J Dent Res 94(12):1668-1675);
• Best Poster in 2014 annual meeting for the Orthopaedic Research Society, March 2015;
• ASBMR Young Investigator Award in 2014 annual meeting for American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, September 2014;
• Osteoarthritis Young Investigator Award in 44^th International Sun Valley workshop, August 2014;
• ORS Web Jee Young Investigator Award in 2014 annual meeting for Orthopaedic Research Society, March 2014;
  
  Selected Publications

1. Ma C, Jing Y, Li H, Wang K, Wang Z, Xu C, Sun X, Kaji D, Han X, Huang A, Feng J (2021). ScxLin cells directly form a subset of chondrocytes in temporomandibular joint that are sharply increased in Dmp1-null mice. Bone (Co-first author, corresponding author)
2. Jing Y, Wang Z, Li H, Ma C, Feng J. (2020) Chondrogenesis Defines Future Skeleton Patterns via Cell Transdifferentiation from Chondrocytes to Bone Cells. Current Osteoporosis Reports (Co-corresponding author)
3. Li H, Jing Y, Zhang R, Zhang Q, Wang J, Martin A, Feng J. (2019) Hypophosphatemic rickets accelerate chondrogenesis and cell trans-differentiation from TMJ chondrocytes into bone cells via a sharp increase in β-catenin. Bone
4. Li J, Xue J, Jing Y, Wang M, Shu R, Xu H, Xue C, Feng J, Wang P, Bai D. (2019) SOST Deficiency Aggravates Osteoarthritis in Mice by Promoting Sclerosis of Subchondral Bone. BioMed Res Int
5. Ma C, Chang B, Jing Y, Kim H, Liu X. (2018) Bio‐Inspired micropatterned platforms recapitulate 3D physiological morphologies of bone and dentinal cells. Adv Sci DOI: 10.1002/advs.201801037.
6. Li C*, Jing Y*, Wang K, Ren Y, Liu X, Wang X, Wang Z, Zhao H, Feng J. (2018). Dentinal mineralization is not limited in the mineralization front but occurs along with the entire odontoblast process. Int J Biol Sci 14(7):693-704 (*equally contribute to this work).
7. Jing Y, Jing J, Wang K, Chan K, Harris S, Hinton R, Feng J (2018). Vital roles of b-catenin in trans-differentiation of chondrocytes to bone cells Int J Biol Sci 14(1):1-9 (Co-corresponding author).
8. Ma C, Qu T, Chang B, Jing Y, Feng JQ, Liu X (2018). 3D Maskless Micropatterning for Regeneration of Highly Organized Tubular Tissues. Adv Healthc Mater 7(3) doi: 10.1002/adhm.201700738.
9. Jing Y, Jing J, Ye L, Liu X, Harris S, Hinton R, Feng J (2017). Chondrogenesis and osteogenesis are one continuous developmental and lineage defined biological process. Sci Rep 7(1):10020. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-10048-z (Co-corresponding author).
10. Hinton R, Jing Y, Jing J, Feng JQ (2017). Roles of Chondrocytes in Endochondral Bone Formation and Fracture Repair. J Dent Res 96(1):23-30.
11. Jing Y, Hinton R, Chan K, Feng JQ (2016). Co-localization of Cell Lineage Markers and Tomato Signal. J Vis Exp 28(118) doi: 10.3791/54982 (Co-corresponding author).
12. Hui Y, Li Y, Jing Y, Feng JQ, Ding Y (2016). miRNA-101 acts as a tumor suppressor in oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting CX chemokine receptor 7. Am J Transl Res 15;8(11):4902-4911.
13. Ren Y, Han X, Jing Y, Yuan B, Ke H, Liu M, Feng JQ (2016). Sclerostin antibody (Scl-Ab) improves osteomalacia phenotype in dentin matrix protein 1(Dmp1) knockout mice with little impact on serum levels of phosphorus and FGF23. Matrix Biol 52-54:151-161.