Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology  http://www.gbs.uab.edu  http://www.uab.edu/graduate  Back to Main

Faculty Detail    
Name QUAMARUL HASSAN
Professor
Fulbright Schoolar 		 
Campus Address SDB 707 Zip 0007
Phone  (205) 975-3020
E-mail  hassank@uab.edu
Other websites
     

Education
Graduate  Indian Institute of Chemical Biology    1996  PhD (Parasite Gene Expression) 
Fellowship  University of Massachusetts Medical School    2004  Post doctorate 


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery  Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Professor
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Assistant Professor
Secondary  Joint Pathology  Molecular & Cellular Pathology Assistant Professor
Secondary  Otolaryngology Chair Office  Otolaryngology Chair Office Assistant Professor
Center  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr Professor
Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Professor
Center  GL Ctr for Craniofacial, Oral, & Dental Disorders  GL Ctr for Craniofacial, Oral, & Dental Disorders Professor
Center  UWIRC Microbiome Center  UWIRC Microbiome Center Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Biochemistry and Structural Biology 
Biochemistry and Structural Biology 
Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology 
Dentistry 
Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics 
Molecular and Cellular Pathology Program 

Biographical Sketch 
After graduating in Veterinary Medicine, I earned my PhD in parasitic gene expression from India. Six years of assistant and associate professorship in India, I joined as a post-doctoral associate in Cell Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA in 2001. I then joined the faculty of Department of Cell Biology at UMASS Medical School as an Instructor (2003-2009) and Assistant Professor (2010-2011). During this period, my training focused on bone-related gene regulatory networks and epigenetic mechanisms using cell molecular biological techniques and in vivo mouse models. Currently, I am Associate Professor and the Co-Director of the PhD track for Dental School’s NIDCR-T90 training grant. I am engaged in teaching and training of students for the past 23 years, currently directs two courses and teaches six courses related to skeletal biology for dental, medical, graduate students and residents. Since 1996, I mentored 54 undergraduates, graduate and medical students, postdoctoral scholars and dental residents. I am the Editor in Chief of the Journal of RNA and Genomics and served editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals, including Frontiers in Non-Coding RNA, Epigenomics, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, Scientific Reports, Annals of Thyroid Research, Dental Research & Applications, and Chronic Diseases and frequent reviewer for numerous Journals including the JDR and JBMR. My research has been recognized nationally and internationally with NIH-funded grants high impact publications, and several awards, including the AIMM-ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award (2010) and the William Fulbright Scholar Award (2018) Award. I supervised numerous students for NIH/NSF, and FAPSP (Brazil) funded research program for minority, undergrad and international students at UAB. My student trainees have constantly received numerous awards and fellowship grants including 2018 AADR Hatton Award and NIDCR F30 award. My laboratory successfully generated several mouse lines including Baf45af/f, Ezh2f/f and drug inducible miR-23a cluster Flp in knockdown model. My research is currently funded by one active NIH/NIAMS R01 grant. I have a collaborative R01 with Dr. Salah Uddin Ahmed of Washington State University scored from NIAID/NIH. My collaboration work with Dr. Yang, UAB to study the epigenetics of multiple myeloma-mediated osteolysis is also ready for another R01 submission. I have 46 peer-reviewed publications and my research focuses on epigenetics of mineralized tissue development, bone-specific gene regulation by non-coding RNA, chromatin and transcription factors using in vitro and in vivo systems.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Association for Dental Research (AADR)  Member   
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)  Member   
International Association for Dental Research  Member   
 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Gene Regulation by Non-coding RNA, Chromatin Remodeling and Modifications
Description
1. Studies to understand the contributions of miR-23a, 27a and miR-24-2 in the physio-pathology of craniofacial abnormalities and post natal bone formation. We already generated the mouse model for global knockout and conditional anti-miR mouse to study miR-23a~27a~24-2 function. 2. Studies to understand the microRNA regulations in the pathology of cartilage degradation. Studies on the regulation of microRNA-665 during dentinogenesis. Recently we discovered miR-665 a novel miRNA and critical for odontoblast growth and differentiation. 3. Genome wide screen of MicroRNA biomarkers for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD). In the process to build up a pilot study with Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, UAB. 4. Studies on molecular mechanisms involved in Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCOF1-Runx2 interaction). Our research in 2007 (Nature, 2007) established a key mechanism of Runx2-UBF interaction in the control of rRNA transcription during osteoblast growth. Our laboratory is engaged to address the role of TCOf1 in this regulation as a possible mechanism of Treacher Collins Syndrome pathology.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Hassan MQ, Javed A, Morasso MI, Karlin J, Montecino M, van Wijnen AJ, Stein GS, Stein JL, and Lian JB. 2004. Dlx3 transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation: temporal recruitment of Msx2, Dlx3, and Dlx5 homeodomain proteins to chromatin of the osteocalcin gene. Mol Cell Biol. 24:9248-9261.  15456894 
Hassan MQ, Tare RS, Lee S, Mandeville M, Morasso MI, Javed A, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2006. BMP2 commitment to the osteogenic lineage involves activation of Runx2 by Dlx3 and a homeodomain transcriptional network. J Biol Chem. I281:40515-26.  17060321 
Young DW*, Hassan MQ*, (*Equal Authorship) Pratap J, Galindo M, Zaidi, SK, Lee SH, Yang X, Xie R, Javed A, Underwood JM, Furcinitti P, Imbalzano AN, Penman S, Nickerson JA, Montecino MA, Lian JB, Stein JL, van Wijnen AJ, Stein GS. 2007. Mitotic occupancy and lineage-specific transcriptional control of rRNA genes by Runx2. Nature, 445:442-446.  17251981 
Hassan MQ, Tare R, Lee SH, Mandeville M, Weiner B, Montecino M, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2007. HOXA10 controls osteoblastogenesis by directly activating bone regulatory and phenotypic genes. Mol Cell Biol, 27:3337-3352   17325044 
Young DW, Hassan M, Yang X-Q, Galindo M, Javed A, Zaidi SK, Furcinitti P, Lapointe D, Montecino M, Lian JB, Stein JL, van Wijnen AJ, and Stein GS. 2007. Mitotic retention of gene expression patterns by the cell fate determining transcription factor Runx2. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 104:3189-94.   17360627 
Li Z, Hassan MQ, Jafferji M, Garzon R, Croce CM, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2009. Biological functions of miR-29b contribute to positive regulation of osteoblast differentiation. J Biol Chem. 284(23):15676-84.   19342382 
Duverger O, Lee D, Hassan MQ, Chen SX, Jaisser F, Lian JB, Morasso MI. 2008. Molecular consequences of a frameshifted Dlx3 mutant leading to Tricho-Dento-Osseous syndrome, J Biol Chem 283(29):20198-208   18492670  
Gordon JA, Hassan MQ, Saini S, Montecino M, van Wijnen AJ, Stein GS, Stein JL, Lian JB. 2010. Pbx1 represses osteoblastogenesis by blocking Hoxa10-mediated recruitment of chromatin remodeling factors. Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Jul;30(14):3531-41.  20439491 
Hassan MQ, Saini S, Gordon JAR, van Wijnen AJ, Montecino M, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2009. Molecular switches involving homeodomain proteins, HOXA10 and RUNX2 regulate osteoblastogenesis. Cells Tissues Organs, 189(1-4):122-125.   18701816 
Hassan MQ, Gordon JA, Lian JB, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS. 2010. Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RNP-IP): a direct in vivo analysis of microRNA-targets. J Cell Biochem. 2010 Jul 1; 110(4):817-22.  20564179 
Li Z, Hassan MQ, Volinia S, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Croce CM, Lian JB, Stein GS. 2008. A microRNA signature for a BMP2-induced lineage commitment program. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105(37):13906-11.   18784367 
Hassan MQ, Gordon JA, Beloti MM, Croce CM, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2010. A network connecting Runx2, SATB2, and the miR-23a~27a~24-2 cluster regulates the osteoblast differentiation program. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Nov 16; 107(46):19879-84.   20980664 
Lian JB, Stein GS, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Hassan MQ, Gaur T, Zhang Y. MicroRNA control of bone formation and homeostasis. 2012. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2012 Jan 31; 8(4):212-27. 10.1038/nrendo.2011.234.  22290358 
Hassan MQ, Maeda Y, Taipaleenmaki, H, Zhang W, Jaffarji M, Gordon JA, Li Z, Croce CM, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB. 2010. miR-218 Directs a Wnt Signaling Circuit to Promote Differentiation of Osteoblasts and Osteomimicry of Metastatic Cancer Cells. 2012. J Biol Chem. 2012 Dec 7; 287(50):42084-92. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M112.377515. Epub 2012 Oct 11.  23060446 
Rosa A, Kato R, Castro Raucci L, Teixeira L, de Oliveira F, Bellesini L, de Oliveira P, Hassan MQ, Beloti M. 2013. Nanotopography drives stem cell fate toward osteoblast differentiation through α1β1 integrin signaling pathway. J Cell Biochem. 2013 Oct 5. doi: 10.1002/jcb.24688. [Epub ahead of print]
 		 24122940 
Kato RB, Roy B, De Oliveira FS, Ferraz EP, De Oliveira PT, Kemper AG, Hassan MQ (Joint senior author), Rosa AL, Beloti MM Nanotopography Directs Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Osteoblast Lineage Through Regulation of microRNA-SMAD-BMP-2 Circuit. J Cell Physiol. 2014 Mar 12. doi: 10.1002/jcp.24614. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24619927   24619927 
MicroRNA 665 Regulates Dentinogenesis through MicroRNA-Mediated Silencing and Epigenetic Mechanisms.
Heair HM, Kemper AG, Roy B, Lopes HB, Rashid H, Clarke JC, Afreen LK, Ferraz EP, Kim E, Javed A, Beloti MM, MacDougall M, Hassan MQ.
Mol Cell Biol. 2015 Sep;35(18):3116-30. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00093-15. Epub 2015 Jun 29. 		 PMID: 26124283 
Non-coding RNAs: Epigenetic regulators of bone development and homeostasis.
Hassan MQ, Tye CE, Stein GS, Lian JB.
Bone. 2015 Dec;81:746-56. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2015.05.026. Epub 2015 May 31. Review. 		 PMID: 26039869 
Titanium with Nanotopography Induces Osteoblast Differentiation by Regulating Endogenous Bone Morphogenetic Protein Expression and Signaling Pathway. Castro-Raucci L, Francischini MS, Teixeira LN, Ferraz EP, Lopes HB, de Oliveira PT, Hassan MQ, Rosa AL, Beloti MM.
J Cell Biochem. 2015 Dec 17. doi: 10.1002/jcb.25469. [Epub ahead of print] 		 PMID: 26681207 
 

Keywords
MicroRNA, Epigenetics, Bone, Tooth, Osteoblast Gene Expression, Odontoblast Gene Regulation