Mechanobiology of rare intestinal cell types

The small intestinal epithelium consists of at least six different cell types where enterocytes, the absorptive cells, represent the most predominant cell type. We found that enterocytes exhibit dynamic, actin-rich, and front-back polarised basal protrusions during migration along the intestinal villi (Krndija et al, 2019).

In contrast to enterocytes, the migratory behaviour dynamics of much less abundant intestinal cell types, such as goblet and tuft cells, are poorly understood.

Our goal is to understand how these rare and dispersed cells with unusual morphologies are mechanically integrated into the tissue and how their turnover is regulated and coordinated.

Financements