Introduction Regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and death in the intestinal epithelium has been the focus of intense research for many years. In addition to epithelial-intrinsic factors, the roles of the mucosal immune system, enteric...
Introduction TIFA was first identified more than 20 years ago as a binding protein for TRAF2/6, playing a role in pro-inflammatory signalling pathways. More recently, it has been shown to be essential for signalling by...
Introduction The gut microbiota is now recognised as a central player in the pathogenesis and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In their recent study, Wang et al examine how disruptions in microbial composition can...
Introduction Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic condition characterised by intestinal inflammation that progressively leads to bowel destruction involving fistulas and stricturing fibrosis, along with other extra-intestinal complications. Disease triggers are likely to be multifactorial,...
Introduction Development of new therapeutics for chronic inflammatory conditions remains a key focus of pre-clinical and clinical research. In a new publication, scientists from the University of Ljubljana show that an abdominally-implanted, ultrasound-activated cellular device...
Introduction Macrophage dysregulation is implicated in inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, the upregulation of the transcription factor E4BP4 in macrophages reduced colitis severity in mice. RNA-seq and single-cell analyses showed that increased levels of...
Introduction The loss of epithelial barrier function is a hallmark of IBD. TNFα is considered a key driver of IBD, directly causing barrier disfunction. Although TNFα-neutralizing therapy has been used for decades to treat IBD,...
Introduction Despite large scale technological and data-driven advances, efficacious and long-lasting treatments for chronic gut illnesses such as IBD, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) appear to remain out of reach for the millions of sufferers...
The relationship between dysbiosis, inflammation and disease is a burgeoning area of research [reviewed in 1-4]. A recently published paper by Sinha and colleagues examines the role of dysbiosis in Ulcerative Colitis[5]. Their work highlights...
The intestinal epithelium is characterised by intense self-renewal which is accomplished by intestinal stem cells (ISCs), located at the base of the crypts. Beyond normal tissue homeostasis, these cells play a major role in the...
