Diana Toivola

Group Name: Epithelial Biology Lab

Subject: Cell Biology

University: Åbo Akademi University

Lab Website: link

AboCRIS Profile: link

Areas of Expertise

Epithelial cell biology of gastrointestinal organs and related glands including the endocrine pancreas
Cytoskeletal intermediate filaments protein regulation and function and molecular roles in health and disease, especially simple epithelial keratins and nuclear lamins
Auto-immune diseases, Inflammatory bowel diseases, type I diabetes, and colorectal cancer
Mouse disease modelling
Non-invasive diagnostics development of intestinal diseases

Dysregulation of keratins in intestinal inflammation with biomarker potential
Noninvasive in vitro assays to detect and monitor inflammatory bowel diseases
A colon-specific mouse model for colorectal cancer
Keratins as tumor suppressors and guardians of intestinal health
Beta-cell cytoskeletal keratin 18 and its putative type 1 diabetes-associated variant in beta-cell function

Mouse disease modelling, especially models of colitis, colorectal cancer and diabetes
Intestinal crypt isolation and organoid culture (mini-gut)
Isolation of islets of Langerhans and 3D culture
Beta-cell and colon cancer cell lines
Microscopy, digital histopathology and fluorescence-based imaging methods
Cell, molecular, biochemical methods
Immunoassay and non-invasive imaging methods development

Current funding: InFLAMES flagship, Business Finland, Novo Nordisk Fonden, Medicinska understödsföreningen Liv och Hälsa, Diabetes Research Foundation Finland
Networks: Intermediate filament community, American Society for Cell Biology, Gut Research Community in Finland, Gastroenterology organizations in Finland, and USA

Defining a timeline of colon pathologies after keratin 8 loss: rapid crypt elongation and diarrhea are followed by epithelial erosion and cell exfoliation. Am. J. Physiol., Gastro. Liver Physiol. 2024. DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00140.2023
β-cell keratin 8 maintains islet mechanical integrity, mitochondrial ultrastructure and β-cell glucose transporter 2 plasma membrane targeting. 2024. Am. J. Physiol.-Cell Physiol. DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00123.2024
Colonocyte keratins stabilize mitochondria and contribute to mitochondrial energy metabolism. 2024. Am. J. Physiol.- Gastrointestinal Liver Physiol. DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00220.2023
Colonocyte keratin 7 expression is expressed de novo in inflammatory bowel diseases and associated with pathological changes and drug-resistance. Sci. Rep. 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26603-2
Targeted deletion of keratin 8 in intestinal epithelial cells disrupts tissue integrity and predisposes to tumorigenesis in the colon. Cell. Mol. Life. Sci. 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04081-5