Role of interleukin 33 in intestinal homeostasis (360G-Wellcome-099814_Z_12_A)

This research project will focus on the identification of the role of interleukin 33 (IL-33) in intestinal homeostasis. IL-33 belongs to the IL-1 family and has been shown to mediate both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes depending on the disease context. Although IL-33 is produced in high amounts in the intestine little is known about its role ininflammatory bowel disease (IBD) development and progression. In this project I will use in vitro and in vivo systems, including knock-out and reporter mouse strains, in order to describe IL-33 signalling in the gut. Recent studies suggest that intestinal regulatory T cells (Tregs) express high levelsof IL-33R and that this pathway contributes to their function. I will build onthese studies to identify key downstream pathways activated by IL-33 in Treg cells that promote their function and how these are regulated by pro-inflamamtory mediators. Altogether the results of this study may lead to identification of potential novel therapeutic targets in IBD.