# The Molecular Basis of Basal Cell Extrusion in Drosophila Intestinal Epithelium

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2022 · $384,657

## Abstract

Project Summary
Maintaining epithelial homeostasis is crucial for organismal health since disruption of epithelial
homeostasis promotes many human diseases, including cancers. Unnecessary, defective, or
potentially harmful cells can be eliminated from epithelia by ‘cell extrusion’—a process to
remove cells from epithelia without disrupting its barrier function. Previous studies have shown
that cells can extrude from epithelia either apically or basally. Since the apical side of epithelia
faces the outside or lumen, extrusion of cells toward the apical side generally leads to the
shedding of extruded cells. In contrast, oncogenic transformation can make cells extrude toward
basal side of the epithelia. When these basally extruded cells do not die off, they can spread to
stroma and/or other tissues, which can be deleterious to the tissue and organism as a whole.
Although basal cell extrusion is a crucial process for maintaining tissue homeostasis and
initiating cancer metastasis, its cellular and molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We
have recently established a new Drosophila intestinal model of basal cell extrusion. We
discovered that intestinal stem cells expressing oncogenic Ras (RasV12) extruded basally from
intestinal epithelia in adult Drosophila. This model provides us a unique opportunity to uncover
the fundamental mechanisms impinging on basal-cell extrusion using the state-of-the-art
genomic and genetic tools available in Drosophila. With this model, we propose to address a
few outstanding questions in the field: (1) we will define the cellular processes required for basal
cell extrusion and determine their signaling networks; (2) we will scrutinize another long-
standing question that epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a tumor-promoting process, is
required for basal cell extrusion; and (3) we will elucidate the role of innate immune cells in the
elimination of transformed cells via basal cell extrusion. Discovering the molecular basis
underlying basal cell extrusion will help us to learn how to tweak the process to keep epithelia
healthy and to prevent tumor metastasis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10456104
- **Project number:** 5R35GM128752-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Young Kwon
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $384,657
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10456104

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10456104, The Molecular Basis of Basal Cell Extrusion in Drosophila Intestinal Epithelium (5R35GM128752-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10456104. Licensed CC0.

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