PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

MIT study suggests a cysteine-rich diet may promote regeneration of the intestinal lining

The findings may offer a new way to help heal tissue damage from radiation or chemotherapy treatment

2025-10-01
(Press-News.org) CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A diet rich in the amino acid cysteine may have rejuvenating effects in the small intestine, according to a new study from MIT. This amino acid, the researchers discovered, can turn on an immune signaling pathway that helps stem cells to regrow new intestinal tissue.

This enhanced regeneration may help to heal injuries from radiation, which often occur in patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer. The research was conducted in mice, but if future research shows similar results in humans, then delivering elevated quantities of cysteine, through diet or supplements, could offer a new strategy to help damaged tissue heal faster, the researchers say.

“The study suggests that if we give these patients a cysteine-rich diet or cysteine supplementation, perhaps we can dampen some of the chemotherapy or radiation-induced injury,” says Omer Yilmaz, director of the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, an associate professor of biology at MIT, and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. “The beauty here is we’re not using a synthetic molecule; we’re exploiting a natural dietary compound.”

While previous research has shown that certain types of diets, including low-calorie diets, can enhance intestinal stem cell activity, the new study is the first to identify a single nutrient that can help intestinal cells to regenerate.

Yilmaz is the senior author of the study, which appears today in Nature. Koch Institute postdoc Fangtao Chi is the paper’s lead author.

Boosting regeneration

It is well-established that diet can affect overall health: High-fat diets can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems, while low-calorie diets have been shown to extend lifespans in many species. In recent years, Yilmaz’s lab has investigated how different types of diets influence stem cell regeneration, and found that high-fat diets, as well as short periods of fasting, can enhance stem cell activity in different ways.

“We know that macro diets such as high-sugar diets, high-fat diets, and low-calorie diets have a clear impact on health. But at the granular level, we know much less about how individual nutrients impact stem cell fate decisions, as well as tissue function and overall tissue health,” Yilmaz says.

In their new study, the researchers began by feeding mice a diet high in one of 20 different amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. For each group, they measured how the diet affected intestinal stem cell regeneration. Among these amino acids, cysteine had the most dramatic effects on stem cells and progenitor cells (immature cells that differentiate into adult intestinal cells).

Further studies revealed that cysteine initiates a chain of events leading to the activation of a population of immune cells called CD8 T cells. When cells in the lining of the intestine absorb cysteine from digested food, they convert it into CoA, a cofactor that is released into the mucosal lining of the intestine. There, CD8 T cells absorb CoA, which stimulates them to begin proliferating and producing a cytokine called IL-22.

IL-22 is an important player in the regulation of intestinal stem cell regeneration, but until now, it wasn’t known that CD8 T cells can produce it to boost intestinal stem cells. Once activated, those IL-22-releasing T cells are primed to help combat any kind of injury that could occur within the intestinal lining.

“What’s really exciting here is that feeding mice a cysteine-rich diet leads to the expansion of an immune cell population that we typically don’t associate with IL-22 production and the regulation of intestinal stemness,” Yilmaz says. “What happens in a cysteine-rich diet is that the pool of cells that make IL-22 increases, particularly the CD8 T-cell fraction.”

These T cells tend to congregate within the lining of the intestine, so they are already in position when needed. The researchers found that the stimulation of CD8 T cells occurred primarily in the small intestine, not in any other part of the digestive tract, which they believe is because most of the protein that we consume is absorbed by the small intestine.

Healing the intestine

In this study, the researchers showed that regeneration stimulated by a cysteine-rich diet could help to repair radiation damage to the intestinal lining. Also, in work that has not been published yet, they showed that a high-cysteine diet had a regenerative effect following treatment with a chemotherapy drug called 5-fluorouracil. This drug, which is used to treat colon and pancreatic cancers, can also damage the intestinal lining.

Cysteine is found in many high-protein foods, including meat, dairy products, legumes, and nuts. The body can also synthesize its own cysteine, by converting the amino acid methionine to cysteine — a process that takes place in the liver. However, cysteine produced in the liver is distributed through the entire body and doesn’t lead to a buildup in the small intestine the way that consuming cysteine in the diet does.

“With our high-cysteine diet, the gut is the first place that sees a high amount of cysteine,” Chi says.

Cysteine has been previously shown to have antioxidant effects, which are also beneficial, but this study is the first to demonstrate its effect on intestinal stem cell regeneration. The researchers now hope to study whether it may also help other types of stem cells regenerate new tissues. In one ongoing study, they are investigating whether cysteine might stimulate hair follicle regeneration.

They also plan to further investigate some of the other amino acids that appear to influence stem cell regeneration.

“I think we’re going to uncover multiple new mechanisms for how these amino acids regulate cell fate decisions and gut health in the small intestine and colon,” Yilmaz says.

###

The research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health, the V Foundation, the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Award, the Koch Institute-Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Bridge Project, the American Federation for Aging Research, the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, and the Koch Institute Support (core) Grant from the National Cancer Institute.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Taming the “bad” oxygen

2025-10-01
Researchers from the Freunberger group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have unveiled pivotal insights into the redox chemistry of oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS). While some ROS play essential roles in cell signaling, the particularly harmful singlet oxygen damages cells and degrades batteries. For the first time, the team uncovers a way to tune it. The results, published in Nature, could have broad applications, including in energy storage processes. While “oxidation” sounds oddly similar to “oxygen,” the two words have little in common. Oxidation-reduction—or ...

CATNIP for chemists: New data-driven tool broadens access to greener chemistry

2025-10-01
University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new tool that makes greener chemistry more accessible.    The tool, described in a study supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and scheduled to publish Oct. 1 in the journal Nature, removes a major barrier to wider adoption of biocatalysis.   Biocatalysts, also called enzymes, are a type of protein that have evolved to perform chemistry that can be complex and incredibly efficient—typically in water and at room temperature—removing the need for toxic or expensive chemical reagents to run reactions. But they are also ...

New research shows global economy doubles, but poverty persists and planetary damage deepens

2025-10-01
A new study published in Nature shows that as the global economy more than doubled between 2000 and 2022, it still left billions of people without life’s essentials, while rapidly pushing Earth’s life-supporting systems further beyond safe limits. For the first time, researchers have created an annual global dashboard that tracks 21st century trends in social shortfall and ecological overshoot, and reveals the extent to which wealthy countries drive most of the overshoot while poorer countries bear the brunt of deprivation. The co-authors of the study, ...

For people without diabetes, continuous glucose monitors may not accurately reflect blood sugar control

2025-10-01
Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are wearable technologies that track blood sugar in real time and help patients with type 2 diabetes improve blood sugar control. In 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter CGMs for individuals with and without diabetes, but there is limited understanding of how to interpret CGM metrics in individuals who do not have diabetes. Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed CGM data from people with diabetes, prediabetes, and normal glycemic control, finding that while CGM metrics in patients with diabetes correlated with hemoglobin ...

New study shows wearable patch reduces alcohol and drug cravings, and substance use

2025-10-01
A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham shows that a non-drug, wearable device can help people with substance use disorders (SUD) manage stress, reduce cravings, and lower their risk of relapse in real time. Their results are published in JAMA Psychiatry. "One of the hallmarks of early addiction recovery is poor self-awareness of emotional states," said corresponding author David Eddie, PhD, a Mass General Brigham psychologist at the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. "People in recovery can experience a lot of stress, but they often don’t have great awareness of it or proactively ...

Clinical characteristics of adults at risk of Medicaid disenrollment due to HR 1 work requirements

2025-10-01
About The Study: Approximately 5 million adults are at risk of Medicaid disenrollment due to HR 1’s work requirements. This population, particularly those ages 50 to 64, has high prevalences of chronic and potentially function-limiting conditions. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ashwin K. Chetty, BS, email ashwin.chetty@yale.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.16533) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and ...

New discovery of Jurassic reptile blurs the line between snake and lizard

2025-10-01
New research has uncovered a species of hook-toothed lizard that lived about 167 million years ago and has a confusing set of features seen in snakes and geckos—two very distant relatives. One of the oldest relatively complete fossil lizards yet discovered, the Jurassic specimen is described in a study, published today in the journal Nature, from a multinational collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History and scientists in the United Kingdom, including University College London and the National Museums Scotland, France, and South Africa. The ...

Cumulative cardiovascular health score through young adulthood and cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in midlife

2025-10-01
About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that a higher cumulative cardiovascular health score from 30 to 40 years of age was associated with markedly lower risks of cardiovascular disease and kidney events in midlife, highlighting the importance of sustained primordial prevention efforts throughout early life. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Hokyou Lee, MD, PhD, email hokyou.lee@yuhs.ac. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2025.3269) Editor’s ...

Data for a better vanadium flow

2025-10-01
Scientists at PSI have created a dynamic database for vanadium, an important raw material. This metal has enormous potential for the energy transition. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) can store electricity for longer than the widely used lithium-ion technology. This makes them particularly suitable for storing surplus wind and solar power in large facilities and feeding it back into the grid at a later time. They can therefore serve as energy buffers, stabilising the power grid and ensuring electricity supply even during a dunkelflaute, a period when neither the wind nor the sun are producing enough electricity. The lack of such storage facilities is considered ...

A middle-ground framework for US vaccine policy

2025-10-01
In a new JAMA Viewpoint, Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Mark Navin, PhD, chair of Philosophy at Oakland University, argue that America’s vaccine policy demands a new approach. Their article, “America’s Vaccine Policy Whiplash — Finding the Way Forward,” lays out a practical middle-ground framework: acknowledge shared blame, abandon absolutist tactics that have fueled public backlash, and rebuild trust through smarter, community-based education and outreach. “There’s plenty of blame to go around,” ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Uncovering links between depression and hypertension in African populations

Immunologist Chrysothemis Brown named a 2025 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar

Science newswire EurekAlert! quadruples academic papers’ media coverage potential

Study reveals genetic and developmental differences in people with earlier versus later autism diagnosis

MIT study suggests a cysteine-rich diet may promote regeneration of the intestinal lining

Taming the “bad” oxygen

CATNIP for chemists: New data-driven tool broadens access to greener chemistry

New research shows global economy doubles, but poverty persists and planetary damage deepens

For people without diabetes, continuous glucose monitors may not accurately reflect blood sugar control

New study shows wearable patch reduces alcohol and drug cravings, and substance use

Clinical characteristics of adults at risk of Medicaid disenrollment due to HR 1 work requirements

New discovery of Jurassic reptile blurs the line between snake and lizard

Cumulative cardiovascular health score through young adulthood and cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in midlife

Data for a better vanadium flow

A middle-ground framework for US vaccine policy

Potential smoking gun signature of supermassive dark stars found in JWST data

Breast cancer and autism: Visualization of the oxytocin receptor enables new theranostic approaches

9/11 study shows how toxic exposures may lead to blood cancers

NIH grant will fund autism research replication, validation, and reproducibility center

New AI enhances the view inside fusion energy systems

Combined resources will improve cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic care

Chatbots the new ‘doc?’ FAU researchers explore AI in health behavior coaching

A step toward diagnosing the flu with your tongue

Pathogenic yeast strains found in urban air but not along the coast

NYU Grossman School of Medicine leader to receive the 2025 Research Achievement Award

New AI tool detects hidden warning signs of disease

Astrocyte-endothelial cell interaction in the aging brain

When Washington tried to starve industries of loans—and failed

Cassini proves complex chemistry in Enceladus ocean

Parkinson’s ‘trigger’ directly observed in human brain tissue for the first time

[Press-News.org] MIT study suggests a cysteine-rich diet may promote regeneration of the intestinal lining
The findings may offer a new way to help heal tissue damage from radiation or chemotherapy treatment