Felix Gunawan
Assistant Professor
Campus
St. George (downtown)
CSB Appointment
Full
Research Areas
Animal Biology, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Molecular Biology, Systems Biology
Education
Postdoc Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Germany, 2021
Ph.D. University of Toronto, Canada, 2015
BSC. University of Toronto, Canada, 2008
Primary Undergraduate Department
Cell & Systems Biology
Graduate Programs
Cell & Systems Biology, Developmental Biology
Research Description
A healthy cardiovascular system is essential for the survival and lifelong well-being of all vertebrates. For the heart and blood vessels to function properly, their cells and tissues must undergo precise morphogenesis and spatial organization. This intricate process is guided not only by internal gene regulatory networks but also by external mechanical cues such as heartbeat, blood flow, and extracellular matrix interactions. Using zebrafish as a model, our lab combines genetic tools, single cell transcriptional profiling, and high-resolution live imaging to study cardiovascular development at single-cell level. We focus on dynamic cellular behaviors – migration, proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation – that drive the formation of specialized structures including heart valves and hematopoietic niches. Through this work, we aim to uncover fundamental principles of organogenesis that integrate both genetic and mechanical inputs, with broad implications for regenerative medicine and disease modeling.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
25 Harbord Street,
Toronto, Ontario,
M5S 3G5
Publications
2024
Distinct mechanisms regulate ventricular and atrial chamber wall formation
Albu M, Affolter E, Gentile A, Xu Y, Kikhi K, Howard S, Kuenne C, Priya R, Gunawan F, Stainier DYR
2024, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-024-52340-3
The heart is a resident tissue for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in zebrafish
Bornhorst D, Hejjaji AV, Steuter L, Woodhead NM, Maier P, Gentile A, Alhajkadour A, Santis Larrain O, Weber M, Kikhi K, Guenther S, Huisken J, Tamplin OJ, Stainier DYR, Gunawan F
2024, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-024-51920-7
Mechanical forces remodel the cardiac extracellular matrix during zebrafish development
Gentile A, Albu M, Xu Y, Mortazavi N, Ribeiro da Silva A, Stainier DYR, Gunawan F
2024, Development, 10.1242/dev.202310
egr3 is a mechanosensitive transcription factor gene required for cardiac valve morphogenesis
da Silva AR, Gunawan F, Boezio GLM, Faure E, Théron A, Avierinos J, Lim S, Jha SG, Ramadass R, Guenther S, Looso M, Zaffran S, Juan T, Stainier DYR
2024, Science Advances, 10.1126/sciadv.adl0633
2022
The developing epicardium regulates cardiac chamber morphogenesis by promoting cardiomyocyte growth
Boezio GLM, Zhao S, Gollin J, Priya R, Mansingh S, Guenther S, Fukuda N, Gunawan F, Stainier DYR
2022, Disease Models & Mechanisms, 10.1242/dmm.049571
2021
The EMT transcription factor Snai1 maintains myocardial wall integrity by repressing intermediate filament gene expression
Gentile A, Bensimon-Brito A, Priya R, Maischein H, Piesker J, Guenther S, Gunawan F, Stainier DY
2021, eLife, 10.7554/eLife.66143
Sculpting the heart: Cellular mechanisms shaping valves and trabeculae
Gunawan F, Priya R, Stainier DY
2021, Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.04.009
2020
Nfatc1 Promotes Interstitial Cell Formation During Cardiac Valve Development in Zebrafish
Gunawan F, Gentile A, Gauvrit S, Stainier DY, Bensimon-Brito A
2020, Circulation Research, 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.315992
2019
Focal adhesions are essential to drive zebrafish heart valve morphogenesis
Gunawan F, Gentile A, Fukuda R, Tsedeke AT, Jiménez-Amilburu V, Ramadass R, Iida A, Sehara-Fujisawa A, Stainier DY
2019, Journal of Cell Biology, 10.1083/jcb.201807175
Mechanical Forces Regulate Cardiomyocyte Myofilament Maturation via the VCL-SSH1-CFL Axis
Fukuda R, Gunawan F, Ramadass R, Beisaw A, Konzer A, Mullapudi ST, Gentile A, Maischein H, Graumann J, Stainier DY
2019, Developmental Cell, 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.08.006
2018
Fibrillin-2 is a key mediator of smooth muscle extracellular matrix homeostasis during mouse tracheal tubulogenesis
Yin W, Kim H, Wang S, Gunawan F, Li R, Buettner C, Grohmann B, Sengle G, Sinner D, Offermanns S, Stainier DY
2018, European Respiratory Journal, 10.1183/13993003.00840-2018
Myh10 deficiency leads to defective extracellular matrix remodeling and pulmonary disease
Kim H, Yin W, Jin Y, Panza P, Gunawan F, Grohmann B, Buettner C, Sokol AM, Preussner J, Guenther S, Kostin S, Ruppert C, Bhagwat AM, Ma X, Graumann J, Looso M, Guenther A, Adelstein RS, Offermanns S, Stainier DYR
2018, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-018-06833-7
In vivo analysis of cardiomyocyte proliferation during trabeculation
Uribe V, Ramadass R, Dogra D, Rasouli SJ, Gunawan F, Nakajima H, Chiba A, Reischauer S, Mochizuki N, Stainier DYR
2018, Development, 10.1242/dev.164194
The potassium channel KCNJ13 is essential for smooth muscle cytoskeletal organization during mouse tracheal tubulogenesis
Yin W, Kim H, Wang S, Gunawan F, Wang L, Kishimoto K, Zhong H, Roman D, Preussner J, Guenther S, Graef V, Buettner C, Grohmann B, Looso M, Morimoto M, Mardon G, Offermanns S, Stainier DYR
2018, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-018-05043-5
2017
Proteolysis regulates cardiomyocyte maturation and tissue integration
Fukuda R, Gunawan F, Beisaw A, Jimenez-Amilburu V, Maischein H, Kostin S, Kawakami K, Stainier DYR
2017, Nature Communications, 10.1038/ncomms14495