Our recent results showed that there was an increase in intestinal stem-cell proliferation due to the production of Upd cytokines by hemocytes in response to an injury or septic infection [Chakrabarti et al., 2016]. To test the physiological relevance of why hemocytes respond to an injury, we went ahead and monitored ISC proliferation in flies defective in either ROS production or accumulation in hemocytes.
To understand the connection between reduced stem-cell proliferation and increased susceptibility to an injury, we wondered if the decrease in ISC proliferation may contribute to loss of gut barrier integrity. I plan to also explore the connection between the gut-brain axis on injury. It might be that hemocytes send systemic signals to alter brain function on injury.