Yoshihiro Ujihara

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology *Profile is at the time of the award.

2023Inamori Research GrantsBiology & Life sciences

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Research topics: Study on the mechanism underlying the high output of avian cardiomyocytes

Keyword

Summary: The heart is a pump for blood, and it symbolizes life. Birds, which are descended from dinosaurs, possess a high cardiac pumping capacity like mammals. While there are many similarities in the morphology of the avian and mammalian hearts at the organ level, the structure and morphology differ significantly at the level of the cardiomyocytes that make up the organ. The goal of this study is to elucidate the mechanism of the high cardiac pump function in birds. In the future, we aim to apply the findings obtained to heart failure therapies.

Comment

I hope to create innovative heart failure therapies (bio-inspired medicine) based on a better understanding of how the heart works in various animals so that those mechanisms can be applied to our own.

Outline of Research Achievments

Avian cardiomyocytes share structural similarities with those of amphibians and reptiles, as well as with mammalian cells observed under severe heart failure—types typically not associated with high cardiac output. Nevertheless, birds achieve cardiac performance comparable to that of mammals. In this study, we revealed that birds accomplish efficient and robust heartbeat generation by finely regulating intracellular calcium concentrations across both time and space. This finding highlights an evolutionarily refined and functionally sophisticated mechanism that goes beyond mere structural differences.

Yoshihiro Ujihara (2024) Exploring the Differences in Avian and Mammalian Hearts through the Unique Membrane Structures of Cardiomyocytes: Calcium Concentration Management and Cardiac Resilience MEMBRANE 49 (2), 82-86 doi: 10.5360/membrane.49.82

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