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Mari Kaartinen

Mari Kaartinen
Contact Information
Address: 

Strathcona Anatomy Building, Room M-72
3640 University Street
Montreal, QC
H3A 0C7

Email address: 
mari.kaartinen [at] mcgill.ca
Position: 
Associate Professor
Degree(s): 

Dr. Kaartinen received her MSc in Organic Chemistry from University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Kuopio (currently University of Eastern Finland) in 1999. She completed her postdoctoral training at McGill University and joined the Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Medicine at McGill in 2002.

Department: 
Dentistry
Medicine
Areas of interest: 
  • Role of TG2 and Factor XIIIA in bone and in osteoblast and osteoclast function
  • Role of FXIIIA in energy metabolism
  • Plasma fibronectin assembly in bone and adipose tissue
  • Function of cellular Factor XIIIA in osteoblasts
  • Exercise and glucose metabolism
Current research: 

Dr. Kaartinen’s research is focused on understanding how extracellular environment regulates cell behavior in bone and fat tissues. We are specifically focused on investigating how extracellular matrix proteins and their posttranslational processing by transglutaminase enzymes, modulates mesenchymal stem cell survival, function and differentiation to adipocytes and osteoblasts and how this links to pathophysiology of osteoporosis, defects in energy metabolism and adipogenesis. We also investigate monocyte and macrophage differentiation and their interaction with mesenchymal stem cell lineage cells in the bone marrow. Our expertise involves transgenic animal models and animal models of disease, cell and matrix biology, biochemistry and chemical biology.

Link(s): 
Laboratory
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