Béatrice ROMAGONOLO
Oncogenesis of digestive epithelia
Oncogenesis of digestive epithelia
KEYWORDS: ISC, mouse models, regeneration, cell differentiation, niche
The aim of our group is to understand the factors regulating the rapid turnover of the intestinal epithelium and their alteration in cancer. We are investigating known signaling pathways such as the Wnt/b-catenin pathway and search for critical downstream events as well as novel signalings that act as drivers for intestinal homeostasis and cancer. Our experimental approach relies on a combination of mouse genetics, biopsies of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), molecular and cellular biology and analyses at the pan-genomic scale.
Our previous work has demonstrated that the Wnt/b-catenin signaling regulates multiple aspects of intestinal physiology, including cell proliferation and differentiation into the Paneth cell lineage. Paneth cells support intestinal stem cell by secreting Wnt ligands. However nonepithelial Wnt signals could provide a secondary physiological source of Wnt in case of Paneth cell ablation. Our result highlights a complex ISC niche. Our projects pursue the understanding of the factors required for the functional integrity of ISC by analyzing conditional knockout mutant mice and organoids culture.
Our previous work has demonstrated that the Wnt/b-catenin signaling regulates multiple aspects of intestinal physiology, including cell proliferation and differentiation into the Paneth cell lineage. Paneth cells support intestinal stem cell by secreting Wnt ligands. However nonepithelial Wnt signals could provide a secondary physiological source of Wnt in case of Paneth cell ablation. Our result highlights a complex ISC niche. Our projects pursue the understanding of the factors required for the functional integrity of ISC by analyzing conditional knockout mutant mice and organoids culture.
