Hideki Enomoto

Gut-Brain functional connectomics toward understanding and application of the gut sensory system

Grant No.：JPMJCR2021

Research Director

Hideki Enomoto

Collaborator

Takeshi Imai	Professor Graduate School of Medical Sciences Kyushu University
Kazunari Miyamichi	Team Leader Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research RIKEN
Shigefumi Yokota	Associate Professor Institute of Medicine and Nursing Shimane University

Outline

Sensory information of the gut luminal environment does not reach conscious perception yet plays a crucial role in the maintenance of body homeostasis. In this project, we will elucidate how gut sensory information is sensed, integrated and transmitted to the brain through anatomical and physiological quantitative analyses. We also seek to identify the visceral neural circuits that are activated by the gut sensory signals. Finally, by manipulating the activity of the gut sensory system, we aim to unveil the physiological significance of the gut-brain axis and to develop a novel strategy for regulating organ function via the gut sensory system.

Mutsuhiro Takekawa

Regulation of biological stress responses by molecular oscillations and multicellular interactions

Grant No.：JPMJCR2022

Research Director

Mutsuhiro Takekawa

Collaborator

Takashi Suzuki

Specially Appointed Professor (Full time) Center for Mathematical Modeling and Data Science Osaka University

Outline

In dealing with environmental stresses, multicellular organisms have developed a strategy as to how damaged cells will respond to stresses. In general, if the intensity of the damage is moderate, the cell will seek to repair the damage. If, however, the damage to a cell is too severe to be repaired, the affected cells are eliminated by apoptosis. Thus, eukaryotic cells convert a graded stress stimulus into a switch-like or binary response, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this project, we will elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of biological stress responses from perspectives of multicellular interactions and intracellular oscillations of signaling molecules, and develop a new strategy to overcome human diseases associated with dysregulation of biological stress responses.

Fumiko Toyoshima

Elucidation and operation of physiological organ remodeling

Grant No.：JPMJCR2023

Research Director

Fumiko Toyoshima

Collaborator

Mitsuhiro Iwaki	Visiting Researcher RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research RIKEN
Koichiro Maki	Assistant Professor Institute for Life and Medical Sciences Kyoto University
Takuya Yamamoto	Associate Professor Center for iPS Cell Research and Application Kyoto University
Mitsuhiro Iwaki	Senior Researcher Advanced ICT Research Institute National Institute of Information and Communications Technology

Outline

Organs and tissues alter their size and functions to adapt to physiological changes of the body. In skin, mechanical stretch induces tissue expansion via epidermal/dermal remodeling. This project aims to elucidate the mechano-induced skin tissue remodeling by developing an in situ force/gene expression-measuring method. The second aim is to establish the tissue-manipulation method that recapitulates physiological skin remodeling, and its application for regenerative medicine.

Motohiro Nishida

Organization of rubust muscles by developing the basis of supersulfide flux analyses

Grant No.：JPMJCR2024

Research Director

Motohiro Nishida

Collaborator

Takaaki Akaike	Professor Graduate School of Medicine Tohoku University
Takakazu Nakabayashi	Professor Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Tohoku University
Akiyuki Nishimura	Project Associate Professor National Institute for Physiological Sciences (Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems) National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Outline

The electron-driven (redox) force of cells plays an extremely important role in energy metabolism and membrane potential formation. In this study, we aim to elucidate the mechanism for building robust mature muscle tissue, by focusing on heterologous cell-cell communications of supersulfides as molecular entities that are the easiest to transfer electrons among life elements and reflect the redox power of individual cells. We wll develop several quantitative techniques to visualize supersulfide-dependent multicellular interactions, and these approaches will establish the physiological and clinical importance of supersulfides in mammals.

Yoshihiro Morishita

Elucidation of morphogenetic laws conserved between species and organs based on quantitative analysis of tissue deformation dynamics

Grant No.：JPMJCR2025

Research Director

Yoshihiro Morishita

Collaborator

Kenichi Suzuki

Specially appointed Associate Professor National Institute for Basic Biology National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Outline

To advance our understanding of organ morphogenesis as a physical process, we will address the following issues. (1) We will develop a new mathematical method that integrates spatio-temporal transcriptome information and tissue dynamics, and apply the method to real biological data to verify its usefulness. (2) We will also apply the developed method to various animal models to elucidate the morphogenetic laws that are conserved among species and organs.