Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying YAP activation in intestinal tissue repair

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are chronic and debilitating pathologies of the intestines that affect 2.5-3.0 million patients in Europe and impose an economic burden of approximately €5.0bn/year on European healthcare systems.

Currently, no curative therapies are available and standard of care is limited to palliative anti-inflammatory treatments that fail to promote healing of the intestinal lining.

Enhancing epithelial regeneration is likely to accelerate functional recovery and reduce exposure to luminal microbes, thereby avoiding further inflammation and, ultimately, chronic damage.

However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying regeneration of intestinal epithelium are not yet fully understood, and thus opportunities for pharmacological modulation remain scarce.

Recently, the mechanoresponsive transcription factor YAP has been identified as a key mediator of epithelial repair in experimental IBD models. Yet, the molecular details of its function remain elusive.

Here, I propose to carry out a proteomic study to dissect the mechanisms by which YAP is activated and exerts its functions in intestinal tissue repair.

I will leverage the intestinal stem cell organoid technology and my expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to: i) perform a detailed characterisation of YAP post-translational modifications and interacting protein partners using unbiased proteomic approaches; and ii) define the function of identified partners using novel in vitro and animal models of intestinal tissue repair.

I envisage the study will provide a clear map of signalling pathways and molecular networks underlying YAP function and uncover potential druggable targets for pharmacological enhancement of intestinal tissue repair.

From a professional perspective, execution of the project will equip me a valuable set of technical and transferable skills and ultimately facilitate my transition into a group leader position.