Yoshihiro Komatsu, PhD
- Associate Professor, Pediatric Research Center
Biography
Yoshihiro Komatsu, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. He earned his BS in Immunology from Kagoshima University, followed by an MS in Developmental Biology from Kurume University and a PhD in the same field from Kumamoto University in Japan. His postdoctoral training included prestigious fellowships at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry. Since joining UTHealth Houston in 2013, Dr. Komatsu has advanced from assistant professor to his current tenured role, while also serving as assistant director of the Pediatric Research Center and associate director of the Lawrence Family Bone Disease Program of Texas.
Dr. Komatsu’s research focuses on craniofacial development, bone biology, and the role of primary cilia in skeletal formation and disease. His work has been supported by numerous grants, including National Institutes of Health (NIH) K99/R00 and R01 awards and institutional seed funding, and he has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals. He is a recognized leader in the field, having received multiple honors such as the Fellows Award for Research Excellence at NIH and the Grand Prize at the International Congress of Developmental Biology. His expertise is frequently sought for national and international grant review panels, and he has delivered invited seminars at institutions across the U.S., Japan, and China.
In addition to his research, Dr. Komatsu is deeply committed to education and mentorship. He has played a pivotal role in graduate education through committee service and leadership in programs such as genetics and epigenetics at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He has mentored numerous PhD and MS students, many of whom have gone on to receive prestigious fellowships and awards. His teaching contributions span core developmental biology courses and specialized lectures at both McGovern Medical School and The School of Dentistry at UTHealth Houston, reflecting his dedication to training the next generation of biomedical scientists.
Education
- Graduate School
- Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan, 2004
- Visiting Fellow
- National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 2004-2009
- Research Fellow
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2009-2012
Areas of Interest
Research Interests
Craniofacial development
Bone biology
Role of primary cilia in skeletal formation and disease
Publications
The molecular complex of ciliary and golgin protein is crucial for skull development.
Yamaguchi H, Meyer MD, He L, Senavirathna L, Pan S, Komatsu Y.
Development. 2021 Jul 1;148(13):dev199559. doi: 10.1242/dev.199559.
Yang J, Kitami M, Pan H, Nakamura MT, Zhang H, Liu F, Zhu L, Komatsu Y#, Mishina Y#.
Sci Signal. 2021 Jan 12;14(665):eaaz9368. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aaz9368. (#Co-corresponding authors)
Alteration of DNA Damage Response Causes Cleft Palate.
Yamaguchi H, Kitami K, Wu X, He L, Wang J, Wang B, Komatsu Y.
Front Physiol. 2021 Mar 29;12:649492. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.649492.
Kitami K, Kitami M, Kaku M, Wang B, Komatsu Y.
PLoS Genet. 2018 May 2;14(5):e1007340. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007340.
Recommended in F1000.
Canonical and noncanonical intraflagellar transport regulates craniofacial skeletal development.
Noda K, Kitami M, Kitami K, Kaku M, Komatsu Y.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 May 10;113(19):E2589-97. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1519458113.
SHP2-Deficiency in Chondrocytes Deforms Orofacial Cartilage and Ciliogenesis in Mice.
Kamiya N, Shen J, Noda K, Kitami M, Feng GS, Chen D, Komatsu Y.
J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Nov;30(11):2028-32. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2541.