What we do…
The MacNaughton lab has been studying the role of the epithelium in inflammatory diseases for over 20 years. We are currently studying several aspects of epithelial cell biology and how they are involved in inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer. We use epithelial cell lines and patient-derived epithelial organoids to model human disease. The MacNaughton Lab co-founded the new Human Tissue Research Platform here at the U of C!
Epithelial barrier function
We are studying the cellular mechanisms that regulate barrier function, focusing on the factors and pathways that control how tight junction proteins traffic in and out of the tight junction (the main structure controlling epithelial permeability).
Epithelial repair
When the epithelium is inflamed, inflammation needs to be resolved, and when it is injured, repair has to occur. We are studying how the behaviour of epithelial cells changes during inflammation and when repair needs to occur. Specifically we are studying the roles of serine proteases and their receptors in these processes. Can we prevent injury? Can we accelerate the resolution of inflammation and the initiation of injury repair?
The role of the epithelium in inflammation-associated colorectal cancer
Chronic inflammation is associated with an increased risk of cancer, not just in the gut, but in many organs and tissues. The link between inflammation and cancer is complex and not well understood. We are studying how inflammatory proteases may trigger an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the generation of proteolytic cleavage fragments of junctional proteins such as E-cadherin. Do these fragments have biological activity? Could they be targets for the development of preventative drugs?
Why is this important…
It is important that all these functions of the epithelium are tightly controlled to maintain homeostasis. Dysregulation of these complex processes leads to diseases that afflict hundreds of thousands of Canadians – Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colorectal cancer and more. We are only now learning how important maintaining proper epithelial function is to disease prevention and treatment.
Our research is supported by:
