The paper identifies HRG1 as a heme importer critical for erythroid differentiation under stress, showing its role in heme acquisition and its therapeutic potential in hemoglobinopathies.

Science · Apr 23, 2026Peer-reviewedCell Biology

Retinoid-impregnated nanoparticles enable control of bone growth by site-specific modulation of endochondral ossification in mice

Masatake Matsuoka, Kenta Uchibe, Ningfeng Tang, Hongying Tian, Akiko Suzuki, Takeshi Oichi, Yu Usami, Ivan S. Alferiev, Satoru Otsuru, Joshua M. Abzug, John E. Herzenberg, Maurizio Pacifici, Motomi Enomoto‐Iwamoto, Michael Chorny, Masahiro Iwamoto

This paper demonstrates that retinoid-impregnated nanoparticles can modulate bone growth by selectively targeting growth plates in mice, leading to localized changes in tibia length and angulation.

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research · Jan 25, 2025Peer-reviewedPharmacology & Toxicology

Nutrient-regulated dynamics of chondroprogenitors in the postnatal murine growth plate

Takeshi Oichi, Joe Kodama, Kimberly Wilson, Hongying Tian, Yuka Imamura Kawasawa, Yu Usami, Yasushi Oshima, Taku Saito, Sakae Tanaka, Masahiro Iwamoto, Satoru Otsuru, Motomi Enomoto‐Iwamoto

This study shows that nutrient availability regulates chondroprogenitor accumulation and differentiation in the growth plate, with IGF-1 promoting differentiation after nutrient recovery.

Bone Research · Apr 21, 2023Peer-reviewedDevelopmental Biology