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Huojun Cao, BS, MS, PhD

Associate Professor of Endodontics

Current Positions

  • Associate Professor of Endodontics
  • Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology

Education

  • PhD in Biomedical Science, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
  • MS in Animal Genetics, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
  • BS in Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Selected Awards & Honors

  • Outstanding Abstract Awards, Endocrine Society 94th Annual Meeting, Houston
  • The Texas A&M Health Science Center Student Travel Award, The Texas A&M Health Science Center
  • GCC Computational Cancer Biology Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), Houston

Professional Memberships

  • International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB)
  • International Association for Dental Research (IADR/AADR)

Selected Publications

  • Shao, F., Phan, A.-V., Yu, W., Guo, Y., Thompson, J., Coppinger, C., Venugopalan, S.R., Amendt, B.A., Otterloo, E.V., and Cao, H. (2024). Transcriptional programs of Pitx2 and Tfap2a/Tfap2b controlling lineage specification of mandibular epithelium during tooth initiation. PLOS Genetics 20, e1011364. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011364.
  • Sebag, S.C., Hao, M., Qian, Q., Upara, C., Ding, Q., Zhu, M., Banas, J.A., Cao, H., Hong, L., and Yang, L. (2024). A medium chain fatty acid, 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid (6-HHA), protects against obesity and insulin resistance. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 14, 1892–1894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2024.01.002.
  • Qian, Q., Li, M., Zhang, Z., Davis, S.W., Rahmouni, K., Norris, A.W., Cao, H., Ding, W.-X., Hotamisligil, G.S., and Yang, L. (2024). Obesity disrupts the pituitary-hepatic UPR communication leading to NAFLD progression. Cell Metabolism 36, 1550-1565.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2024.04.014.
  • Crawford, J., Morawski, M., Eliason, S., Wuebker, S., Van Otterloo, E., Cao, H., Moreno, L., Amendt, B. & Rengasamy Venugopalan, S. (2023). Transcriptome analyses of murine right and left maxilla-mandibular complex. Orthodontics & craniofacial research 26 Suppl 1 39-47. DOI: 10.1111/ocr.12660. PMID: 37073503.
  • Cheng, Y., Sun, F., Alapat, D. V., Wanchai, V., Mery, D., Guo, W., Cao, H., Zhu, Y., Ashby, C., Bauer, M. A., Nookaew, I., Siegel, E. R., Ying, J., Chen, J. R., Gai, D., Peng, B., Xu, H., Bailey, C., Al Hadidi, S., Schinke, C., Thanendrarajan, S., Zangari, M., Chesi, M., Bergsagel, P. L., van Rhee, F., Janz, S., Tricot, G., Shaughnessy, Jr, J. D. & Zhan, F. (2023). High NEK2 expression in myeloid progenitors suppresses T cell immunity in multiple myeloma. Cell reports. Medicine 4 (10) 101214. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101214. PMID: 37794587. PMCID: PMC10591052.
  • Eliason, S., Hong, L., Sweat, Y., Chalkley, C., Cao, H., Liu, Q., Qi, H., Xu, H., Zhan, F. & Amendt, B. A. (2022). Extracellular vesicle expansion of PMIS-miR-210 expression inhibits colorectal tumour growth via apoptosis and an XIST/NME1 regulatory mechanism. Clinical and translational medicine 12 (9) e1037. DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1037. PMID: 36116139. PMCID: PMC9482803.
  • Li, M., Shao, F., Qian, Q., Yu, W., Zhang, Z., Chen, B., Su, D., Guo, Y., Phan, A., Song, L., Stephens, S. B., Sebag, J., Imai, Y., Yang, L. & Cao, H. (2021). A putative long noncoding RNA-encoded micropeptide maintains cellular homeostasis in pancreatic β-cells. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids. DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.06.027.
  • Zhang, Z., Qian, Q., Li, M., Shao, F., Ding, W. X., Lira, V. A., Chen, S. X., Sebag, S. C., Hotamisligil, G. S., Cao, H. & Yang, L. (2020). The unfolded protein response regulates hepatic autophagy by sXBP1-mediated activation of TFEB. Autophagy 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1788889. PMID: 32597296.
  • Yu, W., Sun, Z., Sweat, Y., Sweat, M., Venugopalan, S. R., Eliason, S., Cao, H., Paine, M. L. & Amendt, B. A. (2020). Pitx2-Sox2-Lef1 interactions specify progenitor oral/dental epithelial cell signaling centers. Development (Cambridge, England) 147 (11). DOI: 10.1242/dev.186023. PMID: 32439755. PMCID: PMC7286298.
  • Sweat, Y. Y., Sweat, M., Mansaray, M., Cao, H., Eliason, S., Adeyemo, W. L., Gowans LJJ, Eshete, M. A., Anand, D., Chalkley, C., Saadi, I., Lachke, S. A., Butali, A. & Amendt, B. A. (2020). Six2 regulates Pax9 expression, palatogenesis and craniofacial bone formation. Developmental biology 458 (2) 246-256. DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.11.010. PMID: 31765609.

Selected Grants & Contracts

  • Identifying the core transcriptional regulatory network initiating a tooth program.; NIH(R01); Cao, Huojun (Investigator)
  • Role of ADH5 in the Regulation of Brown Adipose Tissue Metabolic Homeostasis; NIH(R01); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)
  • Co-opting Lef-1 and miR-26b activities to regulate dental stem cells and their progeny.; NIH/NIDCR (R01); Cao, Huojun (Multi-PI)
  • Refining the Genetic and Genomic Architecture of Non-syndromic Orofacial Clefts; NIH/NIDCR (R01); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)
  • Probiotics for Prevention of Early Childhood Caries; NIH(R56); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)
  • Popliteal Pterygium syndrome, IRf6, and the periderm; NIH(R03); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)
  • Molecular mechanisms of initiation stage of tooth development program; NIH/NIDCR (R21); Cao, Huojun (Principal Investigator)
  • Craniofacial Microsomia: Genomic Analyses and Prioritization of Variants using Human Craniofacial Super-Enhancers; NIH/NIDCR (R03); Cao, Huojun (Co-Principal)
  • Longitudinal analysis of low pH streptococci and plaque microbiome in early childhood caries; NIH/NIDCR (R01); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)
  • Whole Genome Sequencing of African and Asian Orofacial Clefts Case-Parent Triads; NIH/NHLBI (X01); Cao, Huojun (Co-Investigator)