Intestinal epithelial Smad7 drives purine metabolic dysregulation and ileal inflammation.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Defects of the gut epithelial barrier and counter-regulatory mechanisms are a prerequisite for the onset of intestinal inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Elevated levels of Smad7, an inhibitor of TGF-β1, in both epithelial and immune cells have been associated with the pathological processes observed in IBD. We aim to determine the relevance of Smad7 expression in the epithelial compartment.

Methods

We generated mice overexpressing Smad7 in the gut epithelium (Smad7TgCre⁺) and monitored pathology development. Inflammatory cell infiltration was assessed using multiplex immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying ileal damage, we performed spatial transcriptomics on froze

SUBMITTER: Laudisi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12914907 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature