Mapping temporomandibular joint (TMJ) degeneration and pain

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a degenerative disease of the joint. It has been challenging to manage and treat TMJOA due to our limited understanding of the molecular, cellular, and neuronal mechanisms underlying TMJOA. The goal of this project is to use multi-modal single-cell and imaging technologies to establish a high-dimensional, comprehensive molecular, cellular, and innervation map of TMJ under healthy and OA conditions in mouse models that mimic human TMJOA.
This study will: (1) create a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic cell atlas for the TMJ in TMJOA model mice and identify molecular changes that accompany TMJOA in each cell type. (2) functionally map TMJ nociceptive innervation during OA progression. (3) explore and validate mediating and therapeutic targets of the disease

颞下颌关节（Temporomandibular joint, TMJ）骨关节炎（Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis, TMJOA）是一种关节退行性疾病。由于目前对颞下颌关节骨关节炎的分子、细胞及神经机制认知有限，其临床治疗与管理仍存在诸多挑战。本项目旨在采用多模态单细胞（multi-modal single-cell）与成像（imaging）技术，在模拟人类颞下颌关节骨关节炎的小鼠模型中，构建健康状态与骨关节炎（osteoarthritis, OA）状态下颞下颌关节的高维度、全面的分子、细胞及神经支配图谱。
本研究将开展以下三项工作：（1）构建颞下颌关节骨关节炎模型小鼠的颞下颌关节全面单细胞转录组（transcriptomic）与表观基因组（epigenomic）细胞图谱，明确各细胞类型伴随颞下颌关节骨关节炎发生的分子改变；（2）绘制骨关节炎进展过程中颞下颌关节伤害性神经支配（nociceptive innervation）的功能图谱；（3）探索并验证该疾病的介导靶点与治疗靶点。