Dr. Mary MacDougall, PhD.

Mary MacDougall, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Professor
Department of Pediatric Dentistry

 
Research Centers

• Cranio-Facial Oral Biology Student Training in Academic Research
• Dental Student Training in Academics and Research

Education

1980-1984 - Ph.D., Craniofacial Development, Univ. of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA
1975-1978 - B.A., Biochemistry, Univ. Calif. at San Diego, Revelle College, San Diego, CA

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Mary MacDougall is the Associate Dean for Research for the Dental School, Director of Research for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Professor. She earned her Ph.D. (1984) in Craniofacial Biology at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Dentistry, under the direction of Dr. Harold C. Slavkin. She was the recipient of National Institute of Dental Research (now NIDCR) Fellowships during both her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral studies. In 1986, she joined the faculty at USC School of Dentistry as a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology. In 1993, she joined the faculty at UTHSCSA as a tenure-track Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. In 1998, she was promoted to Professor with tenure, and in 1999 became the Dental School's first Associate Dean for Research. Dr. MacDougall's research in craniofacial genetics and biomimetics has been funded continuously by the NIDCR since 1985. Currently, she is director of a $5.5 million NIDCR program project grant investigating the molecular basis of tooth-specific gene regulation. In 2001, Dr. MacDougall received the International Association for Dental Research Distinguished Scientist Pulp Biology Research Award.

Dr. MacDougall is commitment to training the next generation of dental scientists at UTHSCSA. In 1996, she became Director of the dental school's NIDCR T-35 Short-term Research Training Program for Dental Students at UTHSCSA. In 2000, Dr. MacDougall started a new program called "Dental Student Training in Academics and Research (D(STAR)". This program is an early intervention program targeting minority students to careers in dental academics. It is currently funded by a grant from the American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) and an UTHSC Presidential Award. In 2002, she became the director of the dental schools NIDCR T-32 Training program Craniofacial Oral-biology Student Training in Academic Research (CO(STAR).

Dr. MacDougall is a member of the NIDCR National Advisory Panel for K-12 Science Curriculum Development, Member of the NIDCR Director Search Committee, past-Chair of the AADR Fellowship Committee, past-Chair of the AADR Publication Committee, past-Chair of the IADR Membership Committee, and has held the elected office of AADR Publication Member-at-Large. Currently she is running as a candidate for AADR vice-president. She has been a featured mentor in a NIDCR film "Research A Way of Life", that promotes dental research opportunities. Her research has also been featured on the Discovery Health Channel program "The Painless Dentist".

Dr. MacDougall's research centers on the molecular mechanisms associated with tooth formation, tissue-specific cytodifferentation, extracellular matrix formation, and related human genetic dental diseases. In particular, she is studying the interactions between the cranial crest-derived ectomesenchyme and dental epithelium, which result in tooth development and the cytodifferentiation of the unique cell types such as odontoblasts, ameloblasts and cementoblasts. These cells synthesize and secrete unique mineralized extracellular matrices that are highly regulated.

In order to investigating formation of dental tissues, her laboratory are establishing and characterizing immortalized cell lines which have the ability to retain their differentiated phenotypes, and form a characteristic mineralized matrix. These cell lines are being used to establish the mechanisms of gene regulation for tooth-specific matrix proteins. In addition, they are being studied to identify potential stem cell populations with application for tissue engineering. Finally, our laboratory is performing genetic studies of human diseases affecting tooth structure and tooth number that including dentinogenesis imperfecta, dentin dysplasia, autosomal dominant forms of amelogenesis imperfecta, tooth agenesis, and cleidocranial dysplasia.

Dr. MacDougall's office is Room 3.640U in the dental school. She can be reached by telephone at (210) 567-3798 or (210) 567-3523, fax (210) 567-6603, or by e-mail at macdougall@uthscsa.edu.

Recent Publications

Feng J, Zhang, J, Dallas, S, Chen, S, Lu, Y, Owen, M, Harris, S, MacDougall, M. Dentin matrix protein 1 gene is a target molecule of Cbfa 1 in bone. J Bone Min Res ( in press).

MacDougall, M. Dental Structural Diseases Mapping to Human Chromosome 4q21. Conn Tissue Res (in press).

MacDougall, M., Simmon, D., Gu, T.T., Dong, J. MEPE/OF45 a New Dentin/Bone Matrix Protein and Candidate Gene for Dentin Diseases Mapping to Chromosome 4q21. Conn Tissue Res 43:320-330, 2002.

Unterbrink, A., Chen, S., O'Sullivan, M., MacDougall, M. Regulation of DSPP and DMP-1 by TGF?-1 Conn Tissue Res 3:354-358, 2002.

Lézot F, Descroix V, Mesbah M, Hotton D, Blin C, Papagerakis P, Mauro N, Kato S, MacDougall M, Sharpe P, Berdal A. Cross-Talk Between Msx/Dlx Homeobox Genes and Vitamin D During Tooth Mineralization. Conn Tissue Res 43:509-514, 2002.

Chen, S, Gu TT, Sreenath T, Kulkarni, A, Karsenty G, MacDougall M. Cbfal/Runx2 isoforms spatial expression in teeth: Identification of binding sites in the DSPP gene. Conn Tissue Res 43:338-344, 2002.

Papagerakis, P., Berdal, A., Peuchmaur, M., Nessmann, C., Malaval, L, Forest, N., MacDougall, M. Investigation of osteocalcin osteonectin, and dentin sialophosphoprotein in developing human teeth. Bone 30(2):377-385, 2002.

MacDougall, M., Unterbrink, A., Carnes, D., Rani, S., Luan, X., Chen, S. Utilization of MO6-G3 Immortalized Odontoblast Cells in Studies Regarding Dentinogenesis. Adv Dental Res 15:25-29, 2001.

Knight, C., Simmons, D., Gu, T.T., Gluhak-Heinrich, J., Pavlin, D., Zeichner-David, M., and MacDougall, M. Cloning, Characterization and Tissue Expression Pattern of Mouse Nma/BAMBI, a Novel Transmembrane Protein J Dental Res 80(10): 1895-1902, 2001.

Blin, C., Lezot, F., Ghoul-Mazgar, S., Hotton, D., Monteiro, S., Teillaud, C., Papagerakis, P., MacDougall, M., Robert, B., Berdel, A. Endogenous Msx1 antisense transcript: in vivo and in vitro evidences, structure and potential involvement in skeleton development in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98, 7336-7341, 2001.

Karrman Mardh, C., Backman, B., Simmons, D., Golovleva, I., Gu, T.T., Holmgren, G., MacDougall, M., Forsman-Semb, K. Human ameloblastin gene: Genomic organization and mutaiton analysis in amelogenesis imperfecta patients. Eur J Oral Sci 109:8-13, 2001.

Dong, D., Gu, T.T., Simmons, D. MacDougall, M. Enamelin maps to human chromosome 4q21 within the autosomal dominant amelogenesis imperfecta locus. Eur. J. Oral Sci. 108(5):353-358, 2000.

MacDougall, M., Simmons, D., Gu, T.T., Forsman-Semb, K., Kärrman Mårdh, C., Mesbah,M., Forest, N., Krebsbach,PH, Yamada,Y and Berdal A. Cloning, characterization and immunolocalization of human ameloblastin (Ambn). Eur. J. Oral Sci. 108(4):310, 2000.

Rani, C.S. Sheela , and MacDougall, M. Dental cell expression of factors that regulate bone resorption. Mol Cell Biol Res Com 3(3):145-152, 2000.

MacDougall, M., Simmons, D., Gu, T.T., and Feng, J. Mouse DSPP Gene: Regulation and Evidence for a Single Gene. Amer Acad Ortho Surgery 317-322, 2000.