[Nov.13] 141st IRCMS seminar - Dr. Shota Nakanoh & Dr. Nanami Senoo (Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University)

November 4 2026

We would like to inform you that the 141st IRCMS seminar has been scheduled as below.

* This IRCMS seminar is open to everyone.

Date      : Friday. November 13th, 2026
Time      : 14:00-16:00

ZOOM　:
Meeting ID: 979 1942 7977
Passcode: Sem13Nov

Program:
14:00-  Dr. Shota Nakanoh
15:00-  Dr. Nanami Senoo

Speaker : Dr. Shota Nakanoh (Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University)

Title : Diversity in early embryonic development of amniotes

Abstract :
    Amniotes, the group of terrestrial vertebrates that includes humans, share many developmental features, and model organisms such as chickens and mice have taught us fundamental principles of embryogenesis. However, important aspects of development are different between humans and other animals. These differences have evolved through the modification and reuse of existing mechanisms, constrained by evolutionary history and shaped by developmental features.

     In this seminar, I will present my research on developmental diversity across amniotes, focusing on three topics. First, I will discuss the molecular basis of pluripotency in non-mammalian amniotes. OCT3/4, a central regulator of pluripotency in mammals, plays an important role in the segregation of placental lineages. How, then, is pluripotency regulated in birds and reptiles, which lack a placenta? Second topic is about the formation of amniotic ectoderm. Amnion development varies considerably even among mammals, and I will introduce the mechanisms that differentiate amniotic ectoderm and surface ectoderm indicated by human pluripotent stem cell models. Finally, I will explore developmental tempo. The timescales of embryonic development, sexual maturation, and lifespan differ among species, but what mechanisms govern these differences? Using neural differentiation in humans and mice as a model, I will examine the relationship between protein degradation and the speed of differentiation.

1. Nakanoh S, Stamataki D, Garcia-Perez L, Azzi C, Carr HL, Pokhilko A, Doshi L, Boezio GLM, Knowles H, Bancalari AL, Melchionda M, Yu L, Howell S, Skehel M, Oxley D, Andrews S, Briscoe J*, Rayon T* (2026) Proteasome-dependent protein degradation shapes developmental tempo in mouse , human neural progenitors, Developmental Cell 61(9):1867-1882
2. Nakanoh S* (2025) Exploring early extraembryonic cells of epiblast origin: Questions on human amniotic ectoderm and extraembryonic mesoderm, Dev. Biol. 524:80-86
3. Nakanoh S*, Sham K, Ghimire S, Mohorianu I*, Rayon T*, Vallier L* (2024) Human surface ectoderm and amniotic ectoderm are sequentially specified according to cellular density, Science Advances 10(9)
4. Tyser R, Mahammadov E, Nakanoh S, Vallier L, Scialdone A*, Srinivas S* (2021) Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of a gastrulating human embryo, Nature 600(7888):285-289
5. Nakanoh S*, Agata K* (2019) Evolutionary view of pluripotency seen from early development of non-mammalian amniotes, Dev. Biol. 452(2):95-103
6. Nakanoh S*, Fuse N, Tadokoro R, Takahashi Y, Agata K* (2017) Jak1/Stat3 signaling acts as a positive regulator of pluripotency in chicken pre-gastrula embryos, Dev. Biol. 421(1):43-51

Speaker : Dr. Nanami Senoo (Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University)

Title : Mechanistic insights into cardiolipin in mitochondrial energetics

Abstract :
        Cardiolipin is a unique phospholipid enriched in the mitochondrial membrane. This presentation discusses its diverse roles in bioenergetics. First, I detail the structural and functional role of cardiolipin for the ADP/ATP carrier, a vital mitochondrial membrane transporter. Second, I describe how disturbed cardiolipin remodeling impacts cristae dynamics, a potential mechanism underlying Barth syndrome cardiomyopathy. These findings highlight the critical role of cardiolipin in mitochondrial function and disease pathology.

1. Senoo N, Kandasamy S, Ogunbona OB, Baile MG, Lu Y, Claypool SM*. Cardiolipin, conformation, and respiratory complex-dependent oligomerization of the major mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier in yeast. Sci Adv 2020; 6(35):eabb0780.

2. Senoo N, Chinthapalli DK, Baile MG, Golla VK, Saha B, Oluwole AO, Ogunbona OB, Saba JA, Munteanu T, Valdez Y, Whited K, Sheridan MS, Chorev D, Alder NN, May ER, Robinson CV, Claypool SM*. Functional diversity among cardiolipin binding sites on the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier. EMBO J. 2024 Jul;43(14):2979-3008

3. Senoo N*, Sheridan MS, Wohlfarter Y, Primrose MT, Tampakakis ET, Keller MA, Claypool SM*. Disturbed mitochondrial maturation in cardiolipin remodeling-deficient cardiomyocytes. iScience 2026;29(3):115111