Staff profile

Research Interests

My research focuses on intestinal function in health and disease.

The intestine is a complex organ that balances competing demands. The epithelium acts as a barrier against the external environment but must also absorb appropriate nutrients. It must defend against pathogens while supporting a diverse microbial population that is beneficial for health. It undergoes rapid cell turnover and must integrate new cells and shed old ones without compromising barrier function. In my lab, we use the powerful genetic tools available in the Drosophila model to understand how the intestinal epithelium balances these competing demands and what happens when things go wrong.

We currently focus our efforts on answering two questions:

1. What cellular and molecular mechanisms underlie loss of intestinal barrier function during illness, disease, and old age?
2. What is the relationship between intestinal homeostasis, nutrition, and the regulation of nutrient uptake?

This research has the potential to break new ground in our understanding of intestinal homeostasis as a cornerstone of health.

• My research focuses on intestinal function in health and disease.
• The intestine is a complex organ that balances competing demands. The epithelium acts as a barrier against the external environment but must also absorb appropriate nutrients. It must defend against pathogens while supporting a diverse microbial population that is beneficial for health. It undergoes rapid cell turnover and must integrate new cells and shed old ones without compromising barrier function. In my lab, we use the powerful genetic tools available in the Drosophila model to understand how the intestinal epithelium balances these competing demands and what happens when things go wrong.
• We currently focus our efforts on answering two questions:
• 1) What cellular and molecular mechanisms underlie loss of intestinal barrier function during illness, disease, and old age?
• 2) What is the relationship between intestinal homeostasis, nutrition, and the regulation of nutrient uptake?
• This research has the potential to break new ground in our understanding of intestinal homeostasis as a cornerstone of health.

Journal Article

• Schinaman, J. M., Rana, A., Ja, W. W., Clark, R. I., & Walker, D. W. (2019). Rapamycin modulates tissue aging and lifespan independently of the gut microbiota in Drosophila. Scientific Reports, 9(1), Article 7824. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44106-5
• Salazar, A. M., Resnik-Docampo, M., Ulgherait, M., Clark, R. I., Shirazu-Hiza, M., Jones, D. L., & Walker, D. W. (2018). Intestinal Snakeskin Limits Microbial Dysbiosis During Aging and Promotes Longevity. iScience, 9, 229-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2018.10.022
• Resnik-Docampo, M., Koehler, C. L., Clark, R. I., Schinaman, J. M., Sauer, V., Wong, D. M., …Jones, D. L. (2016). Tricellular junctions regulate intestinal stem cell behaviour to maintain homeostasis. Nature Cell Biology, 19(1), 52-59. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb3454
• Clark, R., Salazar, A., Yamada, R., Fitz-Gibbon, S., Morselli, M., Alcaraz, J., …Walker, D. (2015). Distinct shifts in microbiota composition during Drosophila aging impair intestinal function and drive mortality. Cell Reports, 12(10), 1656-1667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.004
• Timmermans, M., Baxter, S., Clark, R., Heckel, D., Vogel, H., Collins, S., …Vogler, A. (2014). Comparative genomics of the mimicry switch in Papilio dardanus. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1787), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0465
• Clark, R., Walker, D., & Dionne, M. (2014). Metabolic and immune integration in aging and age-related disease. Aging, 6(1), 3-4. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100626
• Clark, R., Tan, S., Pean, C., Roostalu, U., Vivancos, V., Bronda, K., …Dionne, M. (2013). MEF2 is an in vivo immune-metabolic switch. Cell, 155(2), 435-447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.09.007
• Rera, M., Clark, R., & Walker, D. (2013). Why do old flies die?. Aging, 5(8), 586-587. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100589
• Rera, M., Clark, R., & Walker, D. (2012). Intestinal barrier dysfunction links metabolic and inflammatory markers of aging to death in Drosophila. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(52), 21528-21533. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215849110
• Clark, R., Woodcock, K., Geissmann, F., Trouillet, C., & Dionne, M. (2011). Multiple TGF-β superfamily signals modulate the adult Drosophila immune response. Current Biology, 21(19), 1672-1677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.08.048