Homeostasis within the intestinal tract involves complex interactions between the many resident immune cells, commensal flora, and food antigens. The immune cells must protect against infection from potentially harmful microbes while maintaining tolerance towards commensal organisms and food antigens. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are particularly enriched at mucosal sites and have been shown to be critical for intestinal homeostasis. The lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the location and function of ILCs in the intestine and has identified Coronin 2B (Coro2b) as potentially important. Coro2b is a member of a family of actin cytoskeleton regulators and thus may be important for ILC localisation and function.
We have developed Coro2b deficient mice for this project. In addition, we have also developed the related Coro2a deficient mice. This project will involve characterising the intestinal ILCs in these mice by flow cytometry and imaging. This project will also investigate the impact of Coro2b deficiency on colonic dyshomeostasis in the context of colitis and colon cancer. Finally, the precise function of Coro2b will be investigated at a molecular level.
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