Wataru Kimura, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Biology

Research Interests

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, mainly because the adult mammalian heart lacks regenerative capacity following myocardial damage, including myocardial infarction. It is interesting that fetal and early neonatal mammals are capable of cardiac regeneration, with this capacity being lost within a short period after birth. Our research goals include establishing strategies to reawaken regenerative capacity in the adult heart. We are also interested in elucidating why and how some mammalian species maintain capacity for regenerative capacity for a long time after birth.

Research Focus

- Mechanisms of neonatal cardiac regeneration
- Mechanisms underlying decline in cardiomyocyte turnover rate over aging
- Metabolic basis in cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulation

Recent Publications (*: corresponding author)

• Nishiyama, C., Saito, Y., Sakaguchi, A., Kaneko, M., Kiyonari, H., Xu, Y., Arima, Y., Uosaki, H. and *Kimura, W. (2022)
  Prolonged Myocardial Regenerative Capacity in Neonatal Opossum.
  Circulation 146: 125-139
  
• Kawakami, S., Yohistane, H., Morimura, T., Kimura, W. and Fukada Y. (2022)
  Diurnal shift of mouse activity by the deficiency of an aging-related gene Lmna.
  J. Biochem. 171: 509-518
  
• Iwasa, N., Matsui, T. K., Iguchi, N., Kinugawa, K., Morikawa, N., Sakaguchi, Y. M., Shiota, T., Kobashigawa, S., Nakanishi, M., Matsubayashi, M., Eura, N., Kiriyama, T., Izumi, T., Saito, K., Kataoka, H., Saito, Y., Kimura, W., Nishimura, Y., Mori, E., Sugie, K. (2021)
  Gene expression profiles of human cerebral organoids identify PPAR pathway and PKM2 as key markers for oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation.
  Front. Cell. Neurosci. 15:605030
  
• Nakada, Y., Canseco, D. C., Thet S., Abdisalaam S., Asaithaymby A., Santos C. X., Shah A., Zhang, H., Faber, J. E., Kinter M. T., Szweda, L. I., Xing, C., Deberardinis, R., Oz O., Lu Z., Zhang C. C., *Kimura, W. and *Sadek, H. A. (2017)
  Hypoxia induces heart regeneration in adult mice.
  Nature 541, 222-227
  
• Koizumi A., Sasano T., Kimura W., Miyamoto Y., Aiba T., Ishikawa T., Nogami A., Fukamizu S., Sakurada H., Takahashi Y., Nakamura H., Ishikura T., Koseki H., Arimura T., Kimura A., Hirao K., Isobe M., Shimizu W., Miura N., Furukawa T. (2016)
  Genetic defects in a His-Purkinje system transcription factor, IRX3, cause lethal cardiac arrhythmias.
  Eur. Heart J. 37, 1469-1475
  
• Sabine, A., Bovay, E., Demir C. S., Kimura, W., Jaquet, M., Agalarov, Y., Zangger, N., Scallan, J. P., Graber, W., Gulpinar, E., Kwak, B. R., Mäkinen, T., Martinez-Corral, I., Ortega, S., Delorenzi, M., Kiefer, F., Davis, M. J., Djonov, V., Miura, N. and Petrova, T. V. (2015)
  FOXC2 and fluid shear stress stabilize postnatal lymphatic vasculature.
  J. Clin. Invest. 125, 3861-3877
  
• Nakada, Y., Kimura, W. and Sadek, H. A. (2015)
  Defining the limit of embryonic heart regeneration
  Circulation 132, 77-78
  
• Kimura, W., Xiao, F., Canseco, D. C., Muralidhar, S., Thet S., Zhang, H. M., Abderrahman, Y., Chen, R., Garcia, J. A., Shelton, J. M., Richardson, J. A., Ashour, A. M., Asaithamby, A., Liang, H., Xing, C., Lu, Z., Zhang, C. C. and Sadek, H. A. (2015)
  Hypoxia fate mapping identifies cycling cardiomyocytes in the adult heart.
  Nature 523, 226-230
  
• Canseco, D. C., Kimura, W., Garg, S., Mukherjee, S., Bhattacharya, S., Abdisalaam, S., Das, S., Asaithamby. A., Mammen, P. P. and Sadek, H. A. (2015)
  Human ventricular unloading induces cardiomyocyte proliferation.
  J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 65, 892-900
  
• Xiao, F., Kimura, W., Sadek, H. A. (2015)
  A Hippo “AKT” regulates cardiomyocyte proliferation.
  Circ. Res. 116, 3-15
  
• Kimura, W., Muralidhar, S., Canseco, D. C., Puente, B., Zhang, C. C, Xiao, F., Abderrahman Y. H. and Sadek, H.A. (2014)
  Redox signaling and cardiac renewal.
  Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 1660-1678
  
• #Puente, B. N., #Kimura, W., Muralidhar, S. A., Moon, J., Amatruda, J. F., Phelps, K. L., Grinsfelder, D., Rothermel, B. A., Chen, R., Garcia, J. A., Santos, C. X., Thet, S., Mori, E., Kinter, M. T., Rindler, P. M., Zacchigna, S., Mukherjee, S., Chen, D. J., Mahmoud, A. I., Giacca, M., Rabinovitch, P. S., Aroumougame, A., Shah, A. M., Szweda, L. I. and Sadek, H. A. (2014)
  The oxygen rich postnatal environment induces cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest through DNA damage response.
  Cell 157, 565-579 (#: Co-first authors)
  

Contact

Office:　Laboratory for Heart Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research　

Tel:　+81-78-306-3053

E-mail:　wataru.kimura@riken.jp

URL:　

https://heartregeneration.myportfolio.com/research

https://www.bdr.riken.jp/ja/research/labs/kimura-w/index.html

https://www.riken.jp/research/labs/bdr/heart_regen/index.html