PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mashimo, Hiroshi
AU  - Wu, Deng-Chyang
AU  - Podolsky, Daniel K.
AU  - Fishman, Mark C.
TI  - Impaired Defense of Intestinal Mucosa in Mice Lacking Intestinal Trefoil Factor
AID  - 10.1126/science.274.5285.262
DP  - 1996 Oct 11
TA  - Science
PG  - 262--265
VI  - 274
IP  - 5285
4099  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/274/5285/262.short
4100  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/274/5285/262.full
SO  - Science1996 Oct 11; 274
AB  - The mechanisms that maintain the epithelial integrity of the gastrointestinal tract remain largely undefined. The gene encoding intestinal trefoil factor (ITF), a protein secreted throughout the small intestine and colon, was rendered nonfunctional in mice by targeted disruption. Mice lacking ITF had impaired mucosal healing and died from extensive colitis after oral administration of dextran sulfate sodium, an agent that causes mild epithelial injury in wild-type mice. ITF-deficient mice manifested poor epithelial regeneration after injury. These findings reveal a central role for ITF in the maintenance and repair of the intestinal mucosa.