Role of Notch signaling in gastric tissue homeostasis

The Notch signaling pathway has been shown to play critical roles in stem/progenitor cell proliferation, cellular differentiation, and apoptosis. Recently, it has been shown that inhibition of Notch signaling reduces proliferation in the adult gastric corpus and antrum. This project seeks to elucidate the mechanisms controlling Notch regulation of gastric stem/progenitor cell homeostasis, as well as differentiation of gastric epithelial cell types. Current studies use both pharmacologic and genetic tools to understand the role of Notch in regulation of gastric epithelial homeostasis.