Prof. Omer Yilmaz

The goal of the Yilmaz laboratory is to understand how adult stem cells and their microenvironment adapt to diverse diets in the context of tissue regeneration, aging, and cancer initiation. Towards this end, they are studying the effects of dietary interventions such as calorie restriction and high fat diet-induced obesity on intestinal stem cell (ISC) function in the mammalian intestine. Since ISCs, like all adult stem cells, possess the ability to self-renew and the capacity for differentiating in tissue-specific cell types, they likely play an important role in remodeling the intestine in response to diet-induced physiologies.

A majority of ISCs express the G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) and reside at the bottom of intestinal crypts nestled between Paneth cells. These cells constitute a component of the stem cell cellular neighborhood or “niche,” and elaborate myriad growth factors and cues necessary for the maintenance of ISCs. The Yilmaz lab is working on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underpinning the interaction between ISCs and Paneth cells in conditions of calorie restriction and will complement this by studying the response of this interaction in obesity. By comparing how ISCs adapt to diverse diets, they will gain a deeper understanding of how the intestine integrates physiology with its growth and why some diets reduce or increase the risk of colon cancer.