Brian Muegge, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Internal Medicine
Endocrinology/Metabolism
Molecular Genetics and Genomics Program
Computational and Systems Biology Program
Molecular Cell Biology Program
Research Abstract:
The Challenge: Enteroendocrine Cells are Essential but Poorly Understood Regulators of Gut Health
Intestinal Enteroendocrine Cells (EECs) are diverse, distributed cells that make up only 1% of the intestinal
epithelium but are the essential interface sensing the lumen (nutrients, microbial products, secreted host factors)
and the mesenchyme (immune and neural signals). They respond to the environment by secreting hormones
and other molecules to coordinate metabolism, immune defenses, and behavior. Drugs derived from EEC
hormones are used to treat diabetes, obesity, and bowel injury. A better understanding of how EEC diversity and
regulation is controlled promises new therapeutics for obesity and other diseases. But EECs remain poorly
understood because they are rare, heterogeneous, and not amenable to primary culture with existing methods.
Selected Publications:
Muegge, B.D.*, Wang, Y.*, Stappenbeck, T.S. Modeling Intestinal Development and Injury-Repair In Vitro
Using Mouse Colonic Stem Cell Monolayer Culture Under Air-Liquid Interface. J. Vis. Exp. (), e61318,
(2020).
Jain U., Ver Heul A.M., Xiong S., Gregory M.H., Demers E.G., Kern J.T., Lai C.W., Muegge B.D., Barisas
D.A.G., Leal-Ekman J.S., Deepak P., Ciorba M.A., Liu T.C., Hogan D.A., Debbas P., Braun J., McGovern
D.P.B., Underhill D.M., Stappenbeck T.S. Debaryomyces is enriched in Crohn's disease intestinal tissue
and impairs healing in mice. Science. 2021. Mar 12;371(6534):1154-1159. PMID: 33707263
Xiong S., Whitehurst C.E., Li L., Heo G.S., Lai C.W., Jain U., Muegge B.D., Espenschied S.T., Musich
R.J., Chen M., Liu Y., Liu T.C., Stappenbeck T.S. Reverse translation approach generates a signature of
penetrating fibrosis in Crohn's disease that is associated with anti-TNF response. Gut. 2021 Jul 14:gutjnl-
2020-323405. PMID: 34261752.
Chiang I.L., Wang Y., Fujii S., Muegge B.D., Lu Q., Tarr P.I., Stappenbeck T. Biofilm formation and
virulence of Shigella flexneri is modulated by pH of Gastrointestinal Tract. Infect Immun. 2021. Oct
15;89(11):e0038721. PMCID: PMC8519285
Cho J.H., Li Z.A., Zhu L., Muegge B.D., Roseman H.F., Utterback T., Woodhams L.G., Bayly P.V., Hughes
J.W. Islet primary cilia motility controls insulin secretion. bioRvix, posted Dec 14 2021. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.14.472629
Lai C.W., Bagadia P., Barisas D.A.G., Jarjour N.N., Wong R., Ohara T., Muegge B.D., Lu Q., Xiong S.,
Edelson B.T., Murphy K.M., Stappenbeck T.S. Mesothelium-Derived Factors Shape GATA6-Positive Large Cavity Macrophages. J Immunol. 2022. Jul 22:ji2200278. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200278. Epub
ahead of print. PMID: 35868637.
Last Updated: 11/9/2022 3:02:24 PM