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Massachusetts General Hospital, College de France other research news

October 14, 1996 7:00 AM UTC

Two mouse studies described the role of two trefoil proteins, which help maintain the mucus barrier of the gut. The barrier protects the gut from acid, bacteria and toxins. In addition, one of the proteins may be a tumor suppressor.

As reported in Science, the information was garnered by knocking out the gene for intestinal trefoil factor, and for trefoil protein pS2. Mice lacking intestinal trefoil factor have impaired mucosal healing when challenged with the bowel irritant, dextran sulfate. All mice lacking pS2 developed tumors, which were cancerous in 30 percent of the animals. About half of human gastric carcinomas have lost expression of pS2, but the loss of the protein alone isn't sufficient for malignancy, the researchers noted. ...