The role of SKAP2 in inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer

SNP rs10486483 in the gene locus encoding Src-Kinase Associated Protein 2 (SKAP2) is one of over 240 genetic loci that have been associated with an increased risk to develop inflammatory bowel diseases. SKAP2 is mainly expressed in immune cells where it mediates cellular responses to integrin engagement, including cytoskeletal rearrangement, chemotyxis, and podocyte formation that promote tissue- and tumour infiltration of immune cells, including neutrophils and macrophages. SKAP2 associates with src and focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which are molecules involved in integrin signalling which are involved in immune cell recruitment and immune cell-epithelial cell interactions in the intestine. The main aim of this project is to investigate the role of SKAP2 in the development of intestinal inflammation and for mediating anti-tumour immune responses in epithelial tumours such as colorectal cancer.