Stem cell-specific NF-κB is required for stem cell survival and epithelial regeneration upon intestinal damage

Aurélia Joly; Meghan Ferguson; Minjeong Shin; Edan Foley

doi:10.1242/bio.062025

Stem cell-specific NF-κB is required for stem cell survival and epithelial regeneration upon intestinal damage

Aurélia Joly, Meghan Ferguson, Minjeong Shin, Edan Foley

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Immune signals coordinate the repair of damaged epithelia by intestinal stem cells. However, it is unclear if immune pathways act autonomously within the stem cell to direct the damage response pathway. We consider this an important question, as stem cell dynamics are essential for formation and maintenance of the entire epithelium. We used Drosophila to determine the impact of stem cell-specific loss of NF-κB on tissue regeneration upon chemical injury. We found that loss of NF-κB enhanced cell death, impaired enterocyte renewal and increased mortality. Mechanistically, we showed that inhibition of stem cell apoptosis is essential for NF-κBdependent maintenance of cell viability and tissue repair. Combined, our data demonstrate that stem cell-intrinsic NF-κB activity is essential for an orderly repair of damaged intestinal epithelia.

Original language	English
Article number	bio062025
Number of pages	11
Journal	Biology Open
Volume	14
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062025
Publication status	Published - 15 Sept 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Company of Biologists Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data Availability Statement

Gene expression data is deposited on NCBI under the accession number
PRJNA873108.

Acknowledgements

Drosophila lines were kindly provided by Dr Lucy O’Brien and Dr Bruce Edgar
(Stanford University and University of Utah, respectively). We acknowledge
microscopy support from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Imaging core; and
support with single-cell library preparation from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
Advanced Cell Exploration core.

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (grant #PJT 159604). M.F. received funding through Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarships and an NSERC PGS-D. Open Access funding provided by University of Alberta. Deposited in PMC for immediate release.

Keywords

IMD
Immunity
Intestine
Repair
Stem cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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Cite this

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Stem cell-specific NF-κB is required for stem cell survival and epithelial regeneration upon intestinal damage

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Acknowledgements

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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