Research

Our stomach and intestine continuously produce gastrointestinal hormones that are important for vital activities such as digestion, absorption and controlling blood glucose level. Dysregulation of gastrointestinal hormone with aging causes several diseases including atrophic gastritis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or colorectal cancer. Although quality of gastrointestinal hormones is determined by enteroendocrine cells which are derived from intestinal stem cells, the regulatory mechanism of enteroendocrine cells differentiation is still largely unknown. To elucidate organization of stem cell hierarchy at the gastrointestinal tract, we have focused on not only cell-cell contact, but also host cells-commensal bacteria interaction. Our final goal is to realize the society that mucosal ecosystem can be “designed freely” through finding functional bacteria acted as probiotics manner.

On-going projects

1. Analysis of molecular basis underlying interaction between adult tissue stem cells and gut bacteria
2. Understanding disease-mechanism caused by bacterial infection
3. Development of human tissue and organ using organoid culture system

Keywords

Gut microbiota, Adult tissue stem cell, Organoid, Gastrointestinal hormones, Probiotics, Aging, Infection diseases

Select References

1.  Sasaki et al. (2020)Gastroenterology 159(1): 338-390
2. Nanki*, Fujii* et al. (2020) Nature 577(7789): 254-259 (*: equally contribution)
3. Nakamoto et al. (2019) Nature Microbiol 4(3): 492-503
4. Sasaki and Clevers (2018) Curr Opin Genet Dev 52: 117-122
5. Roerink*, Sasaki* et al (2018) Nature 556(7702): 457-462 (*: equally contribution)
6. Drost et al. (2017) Science 358(6360): 234-238
7. Blokzijl et al. (2016) Nature 538(7624): 260-264
8. Sasaki et al. (2016) PNAS 113(37):E5399-5407
9. Grun et al. (2015) Nature 525(7568): 251-255
10. Huch et al. (2015) Cell 160(1-2): 299-312