RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research Laboratory for Tissue Microenvironment

Team Director: Hironobu Fujiwara (Ph.D.)

Japanese Page

Research Summary

Cell behaviours are not determined solely by intrinsic cellular programmes, but emerge through reciprocal interactions with their surrounding microenvironment. We study how the molecular composition, organisation and mechanics of the extracellular space regulate cellular behaviour and fate. Using mammalian skin as a model, we ask how stem cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions drive organ development, regeneration and homeostasis. Our long-term goal is to uncover the operating principles of the microenvironment and to engineer it to control biological phenomena from outside the cell.

Main Research Fields

Biology

Related Research Fields

Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy
Developmental biology
Dermatology

Keywords

Extracellular matrix
Basement membrane
Skin
Organogenesis
Stem cell

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

1. Liu W, Sanzen N, Abe T, Kiyonari H, Barker N, Hu Z, Fujiwara H
"Nephronectin Mediates the Interaction between Hair Follicle Epithelial Progenitors and Dermal Stem Cells and Is Involved in Hair Cycle Progression"
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, in press.
2. Omachi K, Fujiwara H
"Exploring Basement Membrane Dynamics through Cross-Scale Imaging, Manipulation, and Molecular Mapping"
Matrix Biology 141, 67–81. (2025)
3. Yokota J, Gomi T, Harada Y, Yo K, Ahn K, Sanzen N, Machida H, Shirai Y, Fujiwara H.
"Single-cell transcriptomic reconstruction of the human hair cycle: Capturing the temporal dynamics of skin tissue remodeling"
Cell Reports 44 (9): 116196. (2025)
4. Wuergezhen D, Gindroz E, Morita R, Hashimoto K, Abe T, Kiyonari H and Fujiwara H.
"An eGFP-Col4a2 mouse model reveals basement membrane dynamics underlying hair follicle morphogenesis"
Journal of Cell Biology 224(2), e202404003 (2025)
5. Morita R, Sanzen N, Sasaki H, Hayashi T, Umeda M, Yoshimura M, Yamamoto T, Shibata T, Abe T, Kiyonari H, Furuta Y, Nikaido I, Fujiwara H
"Tracing the origin of hair follicle stem cells."
Nature. 594 (7864) 547-552. (2021)
6. Tsutsui K, Machida H, Nakagawa A, Ahn K, Morita R, Sekiguchi K, Miner JH, Fujiwara H
"Mapping the molecular and structural specialization of the skin basement membrane for inter-tissue interactions."
Nature Communications. 12 (1) 2577. (2021)
7. Cheng CC, Tsutsui K, Taguchi T, Sanzen N, Nakagawa A, Kakiguchi K, Yonemura S, Tanegashima C, Keeley SD, Kiyonari H, Furuta Y, Tomono Y, Watt FM, Fujiwara H
"Hair follicle epidermal stem cells define a niche for tactile sensation."
eLife. 7 e38883. (2018)
8. Donati G, Proserpio V, Lichtenberger BM, Natsuga K, Sinclair R, Fujiwara H, Watt FM
"Epidermal Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates adipocyte differentiation via secretion of adipogenic factors."
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 111 (15) E1501-1509. (2014)
9. *Fujiwara H, Ferreira M, Donati G, Marciano DK, Linton JM, Sato Y, Hartner A, Sekiguchi K, Reichardt LF, Watt FM
"The basement membrane of hair follicle stem cells is a muscle cell niche."
Cell. 144 (4) 577-589. (2011)
10. *Watt FM, Fujiwara H
"Cell-extracellular matrix interactions in normal and diseased skin."
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 3 (4) a005124 (2011)