Iron in microbiota colonization and mucosal healing
We recently discovered that intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) produce hepcidin during intestinal inflammation in mice and in IBD patients. We found DC-derived hepcidin modulates iron levels and microbial colonization to promote repair after inflammation.
The Bessman lab is working to understand the role of iron in microbiota colonization and inflammatory diseases, with a goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies for inflammatory diseases and probiotic delivery.
Interested? Read more: Dendritic cell–derived hepcidin sequesters iron from the microbiota to promote mucosal healing | Science (sciencemag.org)
EGF receptor biased agonists in inflammation, mucosal healing, and colorectal cancer
The EGF receptor (EGFR) can be a potent oncogene, as evidenced by the prominent role of EGFR inhibitors in cancer therapy. Conversely, EGFR signaling is critical for mucosal healing in IBD patients. As a student with Dr. Mark Lemmon, I found that natural EGFR ligands induce distinct active structures and distinct signaling pathways in a unique form of biased agonism.
The Bessman lab is working to define the unique signals induced by distinct EGFR ligands during intestinal inflammation and healing. The goal of this work is to develop therapies that promote EGFR-dependent healing without promoting EGFR-dependent tumorigenesis.
Read more here: EGFR Ligands Differentially Stabilize Receptor Dimers to Specify Signaling Kinetics - ScienceDirect