The monthly seminar talk of the MNS department for the month of January 2019 will be presented by Dr. Fahim Haque, an assistant professor of MNS department on Thursday the 24th January, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. in room number UB 21511. The seminar details are as follows:
Seminar Title: Organoids from nephrotic disease-derived iPSCs identify impaired NEPHRIN localization and slit diaphragm formation in kidney podocytes
Published in Stem Cell Reports (11:1-14. 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.08.003
Speaker: Dr. FAHIM KABIR MONJURUL HAQUE
Date and time: 24th January (Thursday), 2019, 11:30am.
Place: UB21511 (MNS multipurpose room)
Abstract:
Mutations in the NPHS1 gene, which encodes NEPHRIN, cause congenital nephrotic syndrome, resulting from impaired slit diaphragm (SD) formation in glomerular podocytes. However, methods for SD reconstitution have been unavailable, thereby limiting studies in the field. In the present study, we established human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a patient with an NPHS1 missense mutation, and reproduced the SD formation process using iPSC-derived kidney organoids. The mutant NEPHRIN failed to become localized on the cell surface for pre-SD domain formation in the induced podocytes. Upon transplantation, the mutant podocytes developed foot processes, but exhibited impaired SD formation. Genetic correction of the single amino acid mutation restored NEPHRIN localization and phosphorylation, colocalization of other SD-associated proteins, and SD formation. Thus, these kidney organoids from patient-derived iPSCs identified SD abnormalities in the podocytes at the initial phase of congenital nephrotic disease.
Biography of the speaker:
Fahim Kabir Monjurul Haque joined the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Microbiology Program) at BRAC University as an Assistant Professor in January 2019. Before joining BRAC University, he was working as an Assistant Professor at Wakayama Medical University, Japan. He received his PhD in Medical Sciences from Kumamoto University, Japan in September, 2017 under the HIGO Program scholarship which was funded by MEXT. He completed his Master’s (M.Sc.) and Bachelor’s (B.Sc.) in Microbiology from University of Dhaka. Immediately after obtaining his Master’s degree he joined icddr,b in Virology Laboratory. He worked there as a Senior Research Officer until he left for perusing his PhD in September 2013. Throughout his research career he has worked on developmental biology and public health related projects, such as, urogenital track development, effect of diabetes & low-testosterone in adult penile tissue homeostasis, molecular mechanism of kidney development using animal model (transgenic and conditional knockout mice), congenital kidney disease pathogenesis using patient specific iPS cell derived kidney organoids, child pneumonia etiology, clinical drug trial and HIV surveillance.