Cutting edge Seminar

 

Speaker:  Katsuhiro Kato  (Assistant professor of hospital, Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University)

Title: Physiology and Pathology of Pulmonary Vasculature

 

 

Date&Time:  27 Oct.  (Thu.) 2021, 12:00-13:00

※This seminar can also be attended through ZOOM. Please check the URL on “HIGO Cutting-Edge Seminar” at Moodle.

https://md.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=90416

 

Abstract：

Endothelial cells (ECs) form highly branched, tree-like tubular networks that show well organized hierarchical structure composed of arteries, veins and interconnecting capillaries. Endothelial tubules are covered by specialized supporting cells, pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells, surrounded by an extensive amount of extracellular matrix. Signaling interactions between blood vessels and surrounding tissues are crucial for vascular patterning, tissue morphogenesis and definitive organ-specific specialization of the vasculature. Compared with all other vascular beds, the pulmonary vasculature has characteristic physiology and functionality, which centers around a complex alveolar gas exchange unit. There are several disorders affecting the lung that collectively constitute a major public health burden; these include pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic lung disease. A great deal of biomedical research in this area has been dedicated to the function and development of lung epithelial cells. However, despite its fundamental importance in lung function and relevance to the aforementioned diseases, the morphogenetic mechanisms and formation of pulmonary vasculature are incompletely characterized. To improve our understanding of the physiological and pathological state of lung endothelium, I am investigating the form, function and development of pulmonary vasculature using sophisticated tissue-specific and inducible genetic approaches in mice in combination with three-dimensional imaging of thick sections at high resolution to understand normal lung states and the consequences of molecular alterations. We found that pericytes, which are essential components of intact and fully functional blood vessels, have crucial and organ-specific signalling properties and orchestrate different cell types during organ morphogenesis. I am currently investigating the role of pulmonary endothelial heterogeneity in the physiological and pathophysiological functions of the lungs.

 

Reference：

1) Kato K, et al. Pulmonary pericytes regulate lung morphogenesis. Nat Commun. 9:2448. 2018

2) Diéguez-Hurtado R, et al. Loss of the transcription factor RBPJ induces disease promoting properties in brain pericytes. Nat Commun. 10(1):2817. 2019