[May. 28] D5 Seminar-Dr. Kazu Kikuchi (National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute)

April 14 2025

The "D5 Medical & Life Science Seminar" course will be offered by International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS). It will run from May 2024 to March 2025, 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      : May 28, 2025 (Wednesday)
               

Format  : Hybrid

Time      : 16:00 - 17:00 (JST)
               

Speaker : Dr. Kazu Kikuchi (National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute)
               

Title       : Cardiac Regeneration: Transcriptional Control and a New Model Organism

Abstract  :

Our lab studies the mechanisms of cardiac regeneration, focusing on the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and cell cycle re-entry. Recently, Klf1 was identified as a key transcription factor promoting adult cardiomyogenesis in zebrafish. This seminar will provide an update on the regenerative role of the Klf1 pathway and introduce a newly discovered mechanism of cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation. Additionally, our recent efforts to establish Danionella--a genetically tractable fish with exceptional tissue transparency--will be discussed as a novel model for studying cardiovascular homeostasis, regeneration, and aging.

2-3 Major Papers

1. Kikuchi K, Holdway JE, Werdich AA, Anderson RM, Fang Y, Egnaczyk GF, Evans T, Macrae CA, Stainier DY, Poss KD. Primary contribution to zebrafish heart regeneration by gata4(+) cardiomyocytes. Nature 464:601-5, 2010.

2. Hui SP, Sheng DZ, Sugimoto K, Gonzalez-Rajal A, Nakagawa S, Hesselson D, Kikuchi K. Zebrafish. Regulatory T Cells Mediate Organ-Specific Regenerative Programs. Dev Cell 43:659-672.e5., 2017.

3. Ogawa M, Geng FS, Humphreys DT, Kristianto E, Sheng DZ, Hui SP, Zhang Y, Sugimoto K, Nakayama M, Zheng D, Hesselson D, Hodson MP, Bogdanovic O, Kikuchi K. Krüppel-like factor 1 is a core cardiomyogenic trigger in zebrafish. Science 372:201-205, 2021.

Flyer: (Click to enlarge)