Danielle Karo-Atar

Congratulations to Danielle Karo-Atar, Zuckerman Faculty Scholar at Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University on the publication of their study in Mucosal Immunology. The research shows how the intestinal parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri can manipulate the gut lining by activating TGFβ receptor signaling, expanding a regenerative stem cell population while limiting protective cell types that help fight infection. The findings identify a parasite-secreted TGFβ mimic as a key factor in this process, offering new insight into how parasites reshape host tissues to support their survival.

Abstract:
The intestine is a multifunctional tissue relying on multipotent stem cells to establish a repertoire of epithelial cell lineages. We have previously shown that the enteric parasitic nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri (Hpb) directly regulates the intestinal stem cell compartment, tuning the epithelium to a regenerative fetal-like state, marked by the expansion of Clusterin-expressing revival stem cells (revSCs) and inhibiting goblet and tuft cell differentiation.