Stress signalling in intestinal maintenance and regeneration

Many of our tissues, like our gut, lose cells from constant environmental insults, for example from pathogens or chemicals. Thus, a tissue's ability to sense damage, defend itself and promote its repair is key for its proper function and preventing disease. Despite its importance, this process is still poorly understood. To better understand this, we are using the adult fruit fly intestine, which is remarkably similar to our own gut. Together with genetic, biochemical, molecular and imaging techniques, we aim to determine how oxidants and damage-sensing signals trigger cells to defend themselves and support tissue repair upon injury. We also aim to test whether biorhythmic cues received by tissues support their upkeep by fostering new cell production and to identify ways cells can survive longer to prolong tissue integrity when new cells can no longer be produced. Our work could provide novel therapeutic strategies for tissue repair, inflammation and cancer.