Ibec Seminar. Hironobu Fujiwara
Multiscale dynamics and mechanics of the basement membrane in epithelial morphogenesis
Hironobu Fujiwara, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Kobe, Japan
The basement membrane (BM) is a highly organized extracellular matrix that underlies or surrounds most tissues, providing mechanical and biochemical cues. How the BM dynamically remodels during tissue morphogenesis remains poorly understood. By developing fluorescent ECM reporter mouse models and applying quantitative 4D imaging to developing skin, we investigate how BM molecular turnover, tissue mechanics, and epithelial growth are coordinated during hair follicle morphogenesis. Our recent work reveals spatially patterned BM remodeling, in which local incorporation and removal of matrix molecules are coupled to tissue deformation and mechanical forces. By combining live imaging, perturbation experiments, and computational modelling, we are beginning to uncover how molecular turnover enables the BM network to expand, reorganize, and adapt its mechanical state as tissues change shape. These studies suggest that the BM functions as a dynamic material rather than a static scaffold, providing principles that may ultimately inform the design of adaptive extracellular matrices.
Hironobu Fujiwara received his PhD in extracellular matrix biology from Osaka University and completed postdoctoral training with Dr. Kiyotoshi Sekiguchi. In 2007, he joined Dr. Fiona Watt’s laboratory in Cambridge, where he discovered that the basement membrane surrounding hair follicle stem cells functions as a specialized muscle cell niche. In 2012, he established his laboratory at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), now the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR). His research focuses on how extracellular matrix (ECM) dynamics regulate tissue morphogenesis and regeneration. His group develops fluorescent ECM reporter mouse models and quantitative 4D imaging approaches to visualise cell–ECM interactions in living mammalian tissues. By integrating multiscale imaging, transcriptomics, biophysics, and modelling, his laboratory aims to uncover principles of morphogenesis and explore how multicellular systems can be controlled through matrix design.
