
Team Leader
Wataru Kimura
Ph.D.
Laboratory for Heart Regeneration
Location Kobe / Developmental Biology Buildings
E-mail wataru.kimura[at]riken.jp
Please replace [at] with @.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The main reason for this is our inability to regenerate damaged myocardium in the heart. Proliferation of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells), is a major mediator of mammalian heart regeneration in neonates and myocardial turnover in adults. However, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the cardiomyocyte cell cycle. We have recently shown that a rapid increase in mitochondrial respiration and in oxidative stress induce cell cycle arrest in neonatal cardiomyocytes. Our research interest focuses on how the postnatal mammalian heart loses regenerative capacity following injury- and age-related myocardial damage, and whether it is possible to re-awaken endogenous regenerative capacity. We utilize molecular and cellular tools and mouse genetics to understand the role of hypoxia signaling and oxidative stress in cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulation throughout the life cycle of mammals.



Research Theme
- Dynamic change in kinetics of postnatal cardiomyocyte renewal
- Role of hypoxia signaling in cardiomyocyte renewal
- Induction of myocardial regeneration by engineering oxidative metabolism
Selected Publications
Nishiyama C, Saito Y, Sakaguchi A, et al.
Prolonged Myocardial Regenerative Capacity in Neonatal Opossum.
Circulation
146(2), 125-139 (2022)
doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055269
Nakada Y, Canseco D C, Thet S, et al.
Hypoxia induces heart regeneration in adult mice.
Nature
541, 222-227 (2017)
doi: 10.1038/nature20173
Kimura W, Xiao F, Canseco D C, et al.
Hypoxia fate mapping identifies cycling cardiomyocytes in the adult heart.
Nature
523, 226-230 (2015)
doi: 10.1038/nature14582
Canseco D C, Kimura W, Garg S, et al.
Human ventricular unloading induces cardiomyocyte proliferation.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
65, 892-900 (2015)
doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.12.027
Puente B N, Kimura W, Muralidhar S A, et al.
The oxygen rich postnatal environment induces cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest through DNA damage response.
Cell
157, 565-579 (2014)
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.03.032
Members

Team LeaderWataru Kimura
- wataru.kimura[at]riken.jp
(Please replace [at] with @.)
Research ScientistAkane Sakaguchi
- akane.sakaguchi[at]riken.jp
Special Postdoctoral ResearcherYuichi Saito
- yuichi.saito.vs[at]riken.jp
Technical Staff IChihiro Nishiyama
- chihiro.nishiyama[at]riken.jp
Technical Staff IMiwa Kawasaki
- miwa.kawasaki[at]riken.jp
Student TraineeTai Sada
- tai.sada[at]riken.jp
Student TraineeTaketo Fukuhara
- taketo.fukuhara[at]riken.jp
(Please replace [at] with @)
News

Dec. 23, 2022 Research
Opossum hearts hint at new ways of fighting cardiovascular disease

Aug. 25, 2022 Research
Harnessing the heart regeneration ability of marsupials

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