Gabe M. Barrón

Mucus forms an expansive and critical defense that simultaneously nurtures commensal relationships with the diverse body of microbes residing inside us. A breach in mucus integrity leaves the host vulnerable to enteric infections and exacerbates chronic inflammation in intestinal bowel disease. Considering the importance of the mucosal barrier in gut health, surprisingly little is known about the mechanisms controlling mucus production and turnover. Interestingly, parasitic worm infections elicit increased mucus production and gut motility as the body fights to clear these intestinal pathogens. Moreover, recent advances have established tuft cells as intestinal sentinels that detect parasites and coordinate the host response. My research addresses how tuft cells detect chemical and microbial cues in the gut and modulate an appropriate mucus response. By leveraging glycoproteomic tools alongside immunological principles, I will elucidate how tuft cells regulate mucus during health to understand why it goes awry during disease.