Projects per year
Personal profile
Administrative Posts
- Director of Post-graduate Studies
- Member of AWERB
- Member of Science Faculty Postgraduate Appeals Panel
- Organizer of Seminar Series on 'Cell, Development and Molecular Biology'
Career
- Associate Professor in Neuroscience - University of East Anglia, Norwich (2003- present)
- Postdoctoral fellow - University of Birmingham, UK (2001 - 2003) (The Wellcome Trust)
- Postdoctoral fellow - Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF, now CRUK), Lincoln's Inn Fields, London (1996-2001) (ICRF and Human Frontiers fellowships)
- Postdoctoral fellow - National Institutes of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bethesda, USA, and Pasteur Institute, Paris, France (1994-1996) (The British Trust for Myelin Project)
- Post-graduate certificate in Higher Education Practice (PGHEP) – University of East Anglia, Norwich
- Ph.D. - Developmental Neurobiology - National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Mill Hill, London (1994) (Medical Research Council Studentship)
- M.Sc. - Neurological Sciences - University College London, University of London (1990)
- B.Sc. – Human Biology – King’s College London, University of London (1988)
Key Research Interests
We work to genetically dissect the role/s of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)/ FGF receptor (FGFR) signaling system in mammalian organogenesis and adult stem cell function. In the past, we have elucidated these roles in the developing craniofacial sutures, axial skeleton, limbs, lungs, genitalia, submandibular glands and the developing nervous system. Our model organism and research tool is transgenic mice that allow lineage tracing in conjunction with loss and gain-of function in FGFs, FGFRs or FGF signaling mediator genes. In particular, we have generated and studied gain-of-FGFR1 and FGFR2 mutant mice that model two congenital craniosynostosis diseases: Pfeiffer and Apert syndromes. Currently we are interested in novel populations of slow-dividing/ quiescent stem/progenitor cells in the postnatal/adult brain, with a view to understanding their normal role in brain function and exploiting their potential to alter physiology and brain repair. In particular, a novel neurogenic niche in the postnatal and adult hypothalamus, wherein tanycytes that express FGF10 act as neural stem cells and supply the hypothalamic neural circuits with new neurons. Our in vivo studies are complimented by in vitro and ex vivo model systems to delineate the molecular role of FGF signaling in stem/ progenitor cell growth and differentiation.
Current Research Projects
- Investigation of the stem cells and the dynamics of neurogenesis in the adult hypothalamus
- Cellular and molecular basis of neurological defects in Apert syndrome
- Role of FGF signaling in the development of muscle and tendon progenitors
Life in our research group
We are based in the Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) of the School of Biological Science, where we enjoy dynamic interactions with scientists of different background, from stem cell biologists and immunologists, to virologist and neuroscientists. BMRC provides a friendly atmosphere for sharing equipment, technical expertise and floor discussions. We also have ongoing collaborative studies with colleagues based in UK, USA, Japan, France and Finland, through which we share expertise, reagents and transgenic mice. We regularly use immunocytochemistry on tissue sections and cultured neural cells derived from the embryonic and adult rodent brain. Images generated from our work have won several prizes, including the annual Olympus competitions of 2007 and 2009 and runner up prize of ASGBI society in 2011..
Current lab Members
- Bo Potoczek (PhD student)
- Ramzi Gaissi (PhD student)
- Shadhan Al-Siyabi (PhD student)
ALUMNI:
- Timothy G. Goodman
- Benediktas Kaminskas
- Stuart Nayar
- Hannah Felstead
- Shaun Clare
- Estela Perez Santamarina
- Arron Reed
- Neil Sparshott
- Irina Djackova
- Benita Turner Bridger
- Alaleh Nadji-Samiei
- Niels Haan
- Ben Jevans
- Theoni Ingrid Demcollari
- Sumi Shrestha
- Terence Neale
- Ben Warner
- Andrew Loveday
- Christina M. Stratford
- Jacob Beebe
- Julia Mundy
- Marta Mikolajczak
PhD Positions
Click here for current PhD opportunities in Biological Sciences. But feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.
Teaching Interests
- Skills for Biologists (BIO-4008Y)
- Physiology & Chemistry for Life Sciences (BIO-4009Y)
- Grand Challenges in Biomedicine (BIO-4012Y)
- Human Physiology (BIO-5004A)
- Cell Biology (BIO-5005B)
- Blood Biomedicine (BIO-3C53)
- Cellular Signaling (BIO-6003A)
- Genomes, Genes and Genomics (BIO-6013A)
- Embryo Development & Stem Cell Biology (BIO-6012A)
- Molecular Medicine (BIO-7017A)
- Supervision of the research projects of final year undergraduates, and summer projects funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Company of Biologists
- External supervisor of two PhD students at the University of Giessen
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Developmental Neurobiology, University College London
Award Date: 1 Jan 1994
Master in Science, Neurological Sciences, University College London
Award Date: 1 Jan 1990
Bachelor of Science, Human Biology, King's College London
Award Date: 1 Jan 1988
External positions
Chair of 2020 conference FGFs in Health and Disease, Gordon Research Conferences
Vice-Chair of 2018 conference FGFs in Health and Disease -Ventura, USA, Gordon Research Conferences
Grant review panel member, Multiple Sclerosis Society (The)
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Microtubule dynamics in the stem cell niche of postnatal hypothalamus
Hajihosseini, M. K. & Mogensen, M.
28/06/21 → 22/08/21
Project: Training
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A mesenchymal to epithelial switch in Fgf10 expression specifies an evolutionary-conserved population of ionocytes in salivary glands
Mauduit, O., Aure, M. H., Delcroix, V., Basova, L., Srivastava, A., Umazume, T., Mays, J. W., Bellusci, S., Tucker, A. S., Hajihosseini, M. K., Hoffman, M. P. & Makarenkova, H. P., Apr 2022, In: Cell Reports. 39, 2, 110663.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile16 Citations (Scopus)14 Downloads (Pure) -
The role of the mucin-glycan foraging Ruminococcus gnavus in the communication between the gut and the brain
Coletto, E., Latousakis, D., Pontifex, M. G., Crost, E. H., Vaux, L., Perez Santamarina, E., Goldson, A., Brion, A., Hajihosseini, M. K., Vauzour, D., Savva, G. M. & Juge, N., May 2022, In: Gut Microbes. 14, 1, 2073784.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile26 Citations (Scopus)20 Downloads (Pure) -
Comparing development and regeneration in the submandibular gland highlights distinct mechanisms
Leomnia, C., Teshima, T. H. N., Hajihosseini, M. K., Gaete, M., Proctor, G. B. & Tucker, A. S., Jun 2021, In: Journal of Anatomy. 238, 6, p. 1371-1385 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)16 Downloads (Pure) -
An essential requirement for Fgf10 in pinna extension sheds light on auricle defects in LADD syndrome
Zhang, Y., Fons, J. M., Hajihosseini, M. K., Zhang, T. & Tucker, A. S., 10 Dec 2020, In: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 8, 609643.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)22 Downloads (Pure) -
Fibroblast growth factor 10 is a negative regulator of postnatal neurogenesis in the mouse hypothalamus
Goodman, T., Nayar, S. G., Clare, S., Mikolajczak, M., Rice, R., Mansour, S., Bellusci, S. & Hajihosseini, M. K., 13 Jul 2020, In: Development. 147, 13, 180950.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile19 Citations (Scopus)33 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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FUSION Conference on FGFs in Development and Repair. Bahamas.
Mohammad Hajihosseini (Invited speaker)
2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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FGF Gordon Conference, Ventura, California.
Mohammad Hajihosseini (Invited speaker)
2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on FGFs in Developent and Disease, Ventura, California
Mohammad Hajihosseini (Organiser)
2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Winter meeting of the Anatomical Society of GB& Ireland, London.
Mohammad Hajihosseini (Invited speaker)
2016Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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FGFs in Health and Disease Gordon Research Conferences, Hong Kong
Mohammad Hajihosseini (Invited speaker)
2016Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
Press/Media
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Discussion on the importance and Future of research into stem cells
3/08/09
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution