Funded by Delta Chi Fraternity
The adult mammalian intestine is a rapidly renewing organ that is maintained by stem cells. In order to function properly, these intestinal stem cells often require signals from their cellular neighborhood or “niche”, which consists of Paneth cells. Intestinal cancers often arise from stem cells, yet it is unclear what role the stem cell niche plays in tumor initiation. I will investigate the molecular mechanism of the intestinal stem cell and niche interaction in response to lifespan extending interventions such as calorie restriction, and its relevance to intestinal tumor development.
