Adam Gracz, PhD

(he/him)

Assistant Professor, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine

Graduate Programs

Full Member - Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology
Full Member - Genetics and Molecular Biology

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2016
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, 2014
PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2013
MS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011
BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008

Contact Information

Email: agracz@emory.edu

Phone: 404-727-0616

Address:
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, Room 201A 615 Michael Street Atlanta, GA 30322

Epithelial tissues are often highly proliferative and exposed to dynamic cellular environments, which can include potential toxins, infectious material, and sources of physical injury. Epithelial stem cells maintain tissue function by balancing differentiation and self-renewal via precisely regulated gene expression programs. Additionally, many partially-differentiated or mature epithelial cells can reacquire functional stemness in the setting of injury to the endogenous stem cell pool.

Maintenance of epithelial homeostasis therefore demands a complex balance of (1) rapid proliferation, (2) differentiation into diverse functional lineages, and (3) "plastic" cellular phenotypes that can de-differentiate in the setting of injury. Our lab studies how gene regulatory mechanisms are integrated and deployed in a context-specific manner to fulfill these requirements.

We utilize two model systems with distinct functional characteristics: intestinal and biliary epithelia. While the intestinal epithelium is rapidly proliferative throughout adult life, the biliary epithelium is largely quiescent unless damaged. The long-term goal is to advance our mechanistic understanding of regulatory programs in rare stem cell populations across organ systems, in order to improve therapeutic approaches relevant to regenerative medicine and cancer biology.

I. Chromatin in intestinal homeostasis and disease. Emerging data demonstrate a significant degree of cellular plasticity following epithelial injury in the intestine. It is unknown what role DNA/histone modifications and chromatin-modifying enzymes play in generating stable and metastable ISC/progenitor states. This portion of our research program focuses on understanding the role of chromatin in ISC identity, specifically how chromatin and chromatin modifying enzymes maintain the stem cell "state" and contribute to differentiation.

II. Biliary epithelial cell identity. Biliary proliferation is associated with liver injury and cancer, and BECs contribute to hepatocyte regeneration following severe or chronic liver injury. However, the genetic identity of BEC subpopulations remains elusive, and the precise cell populations responsible for normal biliary function and post-damage regeneration remain unknown. Ongoing work in our lab seeks to define: (1) genetic characteristics of BEC subpopulations and (2) induction and maintenance of BEC identity by Sox9.