{"id":30,"date":"2024-02-13T16:26:16","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T07:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kikuchi-lab.ncvc.go.jp\/?page_id=30"},"modified":"2024-04-09T11:16:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T02:16:40","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kikuchi-lab.ncvc.go.jp\/en\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"RESEARCH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation mechanisms<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Cardiomyocyte renewal therapy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Live imaging of tissue homeostasis and regeneration<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation mechanisms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In contrast to mammals, the teleost zebrafish exhibits remarkable regenerative capacity of multiple adult organs, including the heart. We and others previously demonstrated that cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation, but not de novo<\/em> differentiation from stem cells, is the crucial mechanism for new muscle regeneration in the zebrafish heart. Notably, the same regenerative mechanism has been discovered in neonatal mammals; however, the self-renewal capacity of cardiomyocytes rapidly diminishes after birth. We harness the advantages of both zebrafish and mice to expand our understanding of the fundamental cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation mechanisms, thereby providing novel insights for future regenerative therapies of the human heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Cardiomyocyte renewal therapy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We recently discovered that KLF1, a member of the Kr\u00fcppel-like transcription factors, while being pivotal for red blood cell development and congenital anemia, also drives an entirely novel cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation mechanism in zebrafish. Our results suggest that KLF1 expression modifications could reactivate cardiomyocyte proliferative capacity in adult mammalian hearts. Currently, we are developing KLF1-mRNA therapies focusing on cardiomyocyte renewal to induce better repair in damaged human hearts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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