Uneasy but Shared Hotel Heritage: Modern Architecture on a Divided Island
Description: The symmetry of stem cell divisions and progenitor cell differentiation in the Drosophila midgut depends on Notch, JNK and Insulin/TOR signalling. We noticed that, despite the very low levels of mitosis throughout their lives, adult male progenitor cells lose their differentiation with age forming abundant intestinal stem cell-like clusters and rare, spontaneous, DNA damage-driven tumours. Dysplasia starts in the young male midgut and progresses irreversibly upon aging. DNA damage in the intestinal stem cells is only evident later in life. Thus, rather than mutations driving dysplasia and in turn tumorigenesis, we will test the hypothesis that epigenetic imprinting causes loss of cell differentiation of progenitor cells and dysplastic cell cluster formation that predispose for DNA damage and concomitant tumorigenesis.
Amount: €120,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Excellence Hubs
Start date: 2022-03-01
Investigator: Savia Palate
Institution: University of Cyprus
Funded outputs count: 1
Funder award ID: EXCELLENCE/0421/0343
OpenAlex ID: G8900423749