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Understanding the Role and Regulation of Epithelial Ketogenesis in the Colon

Award Number: F31DK143670
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2028

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Understanding the Role and Regulation of Epithelial Ketogenesis in the Colon - Abstract Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) play pivotal roles in intestinal epithelium renewal during homeostasis and after injury. The metabolic demands faced by ISCs require high mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) activity compared to other differentiated cells. ISCs’ mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of intestinal bowel diseases (IBD), which afflicts over 2 million people in the US. The carbon sources that fuel ISC OXPHOS have been broadly described in the small intestine (SI) but not in the colon. I seek to understand how ISC metabolic demands are met in the colon. The colonic epithelium is organized into the colonic crypt. ISCs localize to the base of the crypt (base-crypt), and this protects them from microbial metabolites and microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Top-crypt differentiated colonic epithelial cells (CECs) oxidize microbial-derived short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate making it inaccessible to base-crypt cells. This shields ISCs, as butyrate suppresses ISC proliferation. This metabolic interaction between CECs and ISCs has focused my interest in CEC-ISC metabolic cross-talk. Ketones (acetoacetate, β-hydroxybutyric acid (βHB), and acetone) are important metabolic substrates. I hypothesize that CECs generate ketones that are used by ISCs as their principal energy source. This hypothesis is supported by the localization of rate-limiting enzymes (RLE) for the generation of ketones to the CECs and my preliminary data demonstrating that loss of these enzymes in CECs compromises ISC self-renewal and differentiation. My proposal focuses on this metabolic cooperation between epithelial cells within the crypt where top-crypt CECs shuttle ketones to base-crypt ISCs thus maintaining their turnover capacity. Understanding colonic ketone biosynthesis and function could lead to new treatments and therapeutic targets for IBD. Beyond defining this proposed metabolic crosstalk between CEC and ISC, I am interested in factors regulating CEC metabolic enzymes. I have identified microbial features that regulate the expression of the CEC RLE for ketone generation. I will determine the receptor and pathways downstream of this receptor by which they regulate the expression of this RLE. This research will help to decipher how microbial signals and metabolites contribute to epithelial repair and regeneration.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $37,704 )
2026	2026	PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE	25 SHATTUCK ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	3/19/2026	NEW	$37,704
2026	2026	PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE	25 SHATTUCK ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	1	3/19/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $37,704

Grand Total All Awards = $37,704

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Understanding the Role and Regulation of Epithelial Ketogenesis in the Colon

Award Number: F31DK143670

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2028

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