The Coronin Pathway and the Control of Cell Population Size

Our research aims to understand coronin proteins and how they allow eukaryotic cells to sense, reach and maintain the size of multicellular populations at their appropriate density.

All multicellular organisms require a mechanism to regulate the appropriate numbers of cells within their tissues and organs for optimal functioning. We basically ask the question: how do cells ‘tune’ their population sizes? Our long-standing interest in unravelling the function of coronin proteins has recently defined members of the coronin protein family as key controllers of cell population size.

Coronin proteins are expressed in all eukaryotes, with the exception of plants, having evolved at the time of unicellular-to-multicellular transition. In our laboratory, we are using multiple approaches to delineate coronin-mediated cell population size regulation, ranging from analysis of facultative multicellular amoeba, to ex vivo and in vivo analysis of the coronin pathway in mammals.

Loss of coronin 1 in T cells: resistance towards auto- and alloimmunity while maintaining anti-microbial immunity

Over the years, we have gained important insights into the mechanism of cell population size control through the analysis of the role of coronin 1 in immune cells, where coronin 1 is essential for regulating peripheral T cell population sizes in mice and humans. T cells are key players in immune activation, and interestingly, while the absence of coronin 1 results in profound peripheral naive T cell depletion, anti-microbial immunity is maintained. At the same time, the absence of coronin 1 is associated with resistance towards autoimmune triggers as well as induction of transplantation tolerance. In ongoing efforts we are further defining the mechanisms underlying coronin 1-dependent auto- and alloimmune responses.