[Jul. 27] D5 Medical & Life Science Seminar-Dr. Keiko Nonomura

June 16 2022

The "D5 Medical & Life Science Seminar" course will be offered by International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS). It will run from May 2022 to March 2023, with lectures given by scientists who are affiliated with IRCMS or in collaboration with researchers at IRCMS. The lectures will be given once a month, in English, and by leading scientists in the relevant research field. Students will be taught: 1) how normal physiological functions are maintained in the human body; 2) how these systems become abnormal under certain pathophysiologic conditions; 3) why stem cells are important in animal development and homeostasis; 4) how stem cell-based approaches can help us understand disease mechanisms and find potential cure for diseases related to stem cell malfunction (e.g., cancer, aging).

Anyone who wants to join is welcome.
For students who have registered for the course, please check your attendance in Moodle.

Date      : July 27, 2022 (Wednesday)

Time      : 16:00 -
              * Zoom online seminar

Speaker : Dr. Keiko Nonomura
                Tokyo Institute of Technology

Title        : Mechanosensation mediated by PIEZO channel in the sensory neurons and the vascular system

Abstract :

  Discovery of PIEZO mechanically activated channels has opened a new door to study physiological roles of mechanosensation, as it is now widely known by the 2021 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. PIEZO2 has been demonstrated as the main mechanotransducer for light touch sensation, proprioception and also mechanosensation in other organs such as the lung, the artery and the bladder. PIEZOs are also expressed in other cell types than sensory neurons and play important roles. For example, loss of function mutation of PIEZO1 was found among human patients with familial lymphedema. Our study of mice lacking PIEZO1 in endothelial cells revealed that PIEZO1 is required for the valve formation in the lymphatic vessels and the veins. In this seminar, I will talk about how these findings have been made and the frontline of research about physiological roles of mechanosensation.

Selected publications:

1. Nonomura K, Woo SH, Chang RB, Gillich A, Qiu Z, Francisco AG, Ranade SS, Liberles SD, Patapoutian A. Piezo2 senses airway stretch and mediates lung inflation-induced apnoea. Nature. 2017 Jan 12;541(7636):176-181. doi:10.1038/nature20793. Epub 2016 Dec 21. PMID: 28002412; PMCID: PMC5267560.
2. Nonomura K, Lukacs V, Sweet DT, Goddard LM, Kanie A, Whitwam T, Ranade SS, Fujimori T, Kahn ML, Patapoutian A. Mechanically activated ion channel PIEZO1 is required for lymphatic valve formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Dec 11;115(50):12817-12822. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1817070115. Epub 2018 Nov 27. PMID: 30482854; PMCID: PMC6294938.

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