Setsunosuke Ihara was born in 1947 in Oita Prefecture, Japan, and grew up in Gunma Prefecture.  He studied embryology, histology and biochemistry at Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University, being supported by Prof. T. Mizuno and Prof. S. Kinoshita.  His first scientific position was the research fellow of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Kitasato University School of Medicine.  He worked there on the transcriptional regulation in mouse plasmocytoma cells (he got Sci. D. degree for this study, from University of Tokyo), and his biochemical tasks contributed to Dr. M. Kawakami's work on a novel but ubiquitous bactericidal factor, Ra-reactive factor (RaRF), in animal sera.  In 1989, he moved, as a lecturer (and an associate professor after a while), to Department of Plastic Surgery, directed by Prof. N. Shioya, of the same university, and started the research of ontogenetic aspects of wound healing, which became his major interest thereafter.  Since 1996, when he got the present position at Shimane University, this research has more extensively progressed by employing several kinds experimental systems using vertebrates (and their embryos), such as rats, gray short-tailed opossums, chicks, and African clawed frogs, as well as the cell lines derived from these animals. He is now a Professor emeritus of Shimane University, since the retirement in March, 2013.

• Name and the present address: Setsunosuke Ihara, Ph.D., Emeritus Prof. Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Nishikawatsu 1060, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8504 Japan, Phone: +81-852-32-6428, FAX: +81-852-32-6499, e-mail: ihara@life.shimane-u.ac.jp
• The past educational subject: developmental biology
• Research field: wound healing and organogenesis, especially on epithelial movements during these morphogenetic events
• Academic societies: The Zoological Society of Japan; The Japan Society of Developmental Biologists 
• Family: wife, a son and a daughter
• Hobbies: nature observation (bird watching, etc.); classic guitar; tennis

1. Ayano Harata, Takashi Matsuzaki, Koichi Ozaki, and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2013): The cell sorting process of Xenopus gastrula cells progresses in a stepwise fashion involving concentrification and polarization. CellBio, in press.
2. Ayano Harata, Takashi Matsuzaki, Akio Nishikawa and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2013): The cell sorting process of Xenopus gastrula cells involves the acto-myosin system and TGF-beta signaling. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. -Animal. 49, 220–229.
3. Taro Fuchigami, Takashi Matsuzaki and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2011): Possible roles of ENaC and Cl-channel in wound closure in Xenopus laevis embryos. Zool. Sci. 28, 703-711.
4. Taro Fuchigami, Takashi Matsuzaki and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2011): Exposure to external environment of low ion concentrations is the trigger for rapid wound closure in Xenopus laevis embryos. Zool. Sci. 28, 633-641.
5. Hitomi Yamane, Setsunosuke Ihara, Masaaki Kuroda and Akio Nishikawa (2011): Adult-type myogenesis of the frog Xenopus laevis specifically suppressed by notochord cells but promoted by spinal cord cells in vitro. In Vitro Cell. Dev.Biol. -Animal. 47, 470–483.
6. Kiyokazu Morioka, Marry Arai and Setsunosuke Ihara (2011): Steady and temporary expressions of smooth muscle actin in hair, vibrissa, arrestor pill muscle, and other hair appendages of developing rats. Acta Histochem. Cytochem. 44, 141-153.
7. Masako Misawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Seysunosuke Ihara, Takashi Muramatsu and Takashi Matsuzaki (2007): Accelerated proliferation and abnormal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes in endo-galactosidase C transgenic mice. Glycobiology, 18, 20-27.
8. Machiko Iida, Setsunosuke Ihara and Takashi Matsuzaki (2007): Hair cycle-dependent changes of alkaline phosphatase activity in the mesenchyme and epithelium in mouse vibrissal follicles. Develop. Growth and Differ. 49, 185-195.
9. Machiko Iida, Setsunosuke Ihara and Takashi Matsuzaki (2007): Follicular epithelia and dermal papillae of mouse vibrissal follicles qualitatively change their hair-forming ability during anagen. Differentiation 75, 371-381.
10. Yasuko Yoshii, Takashi Matsuzaki, Hideki Ishida and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2005): Wound healing ability of Xenopus laevis embryos.  II. Morphological analysis of wound marginal epidermis. Development, Growth and Differentiation, 47, 563-572.
11. Yasuko Yoshii, Masahiro Noda, Takashi Matsuzaki and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2005): Wound healing ability of Xenopus laevis embryos.  I. Rapid wound closure achieved by bisectional half embryos. Development, Growth and Differentiation, 47, 553-561.
12. Michiko Koizumi, Takashi Matsuzaki, and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2005): Expression of P-cadherin distinct from that of E-cadherin in reepithelialization in neonatal rat skin.  Development, Growth and Differentiation, 47: 75-85.
13. Michiko Koizumi, Takashi Matsuzaki and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2004): The subsets of keratinocytes responsible  for covering open wounds in neonatal rat skin.  Cell Tissue Res., 315: 187-195.
14. Kiyokazu Morioka, Kaori Sato-Kusubata, Seiichi Kawashima, Takashi Ueno, Eiki Kominami, Hitoshi Sakuraba and Setsunosuke Ihara (2001): Localization of cathepsins B, D, L, LAMP-1 and μ-calpain in developing hair follicles. Acta Histochem. Cytochem., 34: 337-347.
15. Kouichirou Sezaki, Eiju Uchinuma, Nobuyuki Shioya and Setsunosuke Ihara* (2000): Localization of K6-keratin mRNA in newborn rat wounds during healing. Kitasato Medicine, 30: 400-406.
16. Kiyokazu Morioka, Hiromi Takano-Ohmuro, Masasumi Sameshima, Takashi Ueno, Eiki Kominami, Hitoshi Sakuraba and Setsunosuke Ihara (1999): Extinction of organelles in differentiating epidermis. Acta Histochem. Cytochem., 32: 465-476.
17. Akira Takeda, Shigeko Matsuhashi, Nobuyuki Shioya and Setsunosuke Ihara* (1998)：Histodifferentiation of hair follicles in grafting of cell aggregates obtained by rotation culture of embryonic rat skin. Scan. J. Plast. Reconstr. Hand. Surg., 32: 359-364.
18. Toshihiko Suzuki, Kenji Ui, Nobuyuki Shioya and Setsunosuke Ihara* (1995): Mixed cultures comprising syngeneic and allogeneic mouse keratinocytes as a graftable skin substitute. Transplantation, 59(9): 1236-1241.
19. Masao Ono, Takasi Harigai, Toyoji Kaneko, Yuichi Sato, Setsunosuke Ihara and Hiroshi Kawauchi (1994): Pit-1/GH factor-1 involvement in the gene expression of somatolactin. Mol. Endocrinol., 8: 109-115.
20. Shusuke Kuge, Setsunosuke Ihara, Emiko Watanabe, Mariko Watanabe, Kunio Takishima, Tatsuko Suga, Gunji Mamiya and Masaya Kawakami (1992): cDNAs and deduced amino acid sequences of subunits in the binding component of mouse bactericidal factor, Ra-reactive factor: similarity to mannose-binding proteins. Biochemistry, 31(30): 6943-6950.
21. Setsunosuke Ihara* and Yumiko Motobayashi (1992): Wound closure in foetal rat skin. Development, 114(3): 573-582.
22. Setsunosuke Ihara*, Mariko Watanabe, Eriko Nagao and Nobuyuki Shioya (1991): Formation of hair follicles from a single-cell suspension of embryonic rat skin by a two-step procedure in vitro. Cell Tissue Res., 266: 65-73.
23. Setsunosuke Ihara*, Akiyoshi Takahashi, Hiromi Hatsuse, Kazuhiro Sumitomo, Kazuhiro Doi and Masaya Kawakami (1991): Major component of Ra-reactive factor, a complement-activating bactericidal protein, in mouse serum.  J. Immunol., 146: 1874-1879.　
24. Setsunosuke Ihara*, Yumiko Motobayashi, Eriko Nagao and Andreas Kistler (1990): Ontogenetic transition of wound healing pattern in rat skin occurring at the fetal stage. Development, 110: 671-680.
25. Andreas Kistler and Setsunosuke Ihara (1989): Requirement of serum factors for wound closure of embryonic skin in vitro.  Ann. Plast. Surg., 23: 479-487.
26. Andreas Kistler, Ryuichi Utsugi and Setsunosuke Ihara (1988): Wound healing in fetal limb organ culture.  Anal. Plast. Surg., 21: 303-309.
27. Izumi Ihara, Setsunosuke Ihara, Akiko Nagashima, Yue-Hua Ji and Masaya Kawakami (1988): The 28k and 70k dalton polypeptide components of mouse Ra-reactive factor are responsible for bactericidal activity.  Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 152: 636-641.
28. Setsunosuke Ihara*, Haruo Suzuki and Masaya Kawakami (1987): Recovery of polypeptides from polyacrylamide gels by electrophoretic elution in a centrifugation concentrator.  Anal. Biochem., 166: 349-352.
29. Masaya Kawakami, Izumi Ihara, Setsunosuke Ihara, Atsushi Suzuki and Kazuhiro Fukui (1984):  A group of bactericidal factors conserved by vertebrates for more than 300 million years. J. Immunol., 132: 2578-2581.
30. Izumi Ihara, Yasuko Harada, Setsunosuke Ihara and Masaya Kawakami (1982): A new complement-dependent bactericidal factor found in nonimmune mouse sera: specific binding to polysaccharide of Ra chemotype Salmonella.  J. Immunol., 128: 1256-1260.
31. Setsunosuke Ihara*, Yumiko Nakajima-Motobayashi and Masaya Kawakami (1982): In vitro transcription by mouse plasmocytoma RNA polymerase II supplemented with nuclear protein fractions.  Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 213: 444-455.
32. Setsunosuke Ihara* and Masaya Kawakami (1981): Purification and characterization of mouse plasmocytoma RNA polymerase II.  Kitasato Arch. Exp. Med., 54: 63-81.
33. Setsunosuke Ihara* and Masaya Kawakami (1977): Stimulatory effect of a factor extracted from mouse myeloma nuclei on preinitiation process of RNA synthesis.  Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 183: 123-130.