Regulation and function of trefoil factor family 3 expression in the biliary tree.

ABSTRACT: Microarray analysis identified trefoil factor family 3 (TFF3) as a gene expressed in biliary epithelial cells (BECs), regulated by interleukin (IL)-6, and potentially involved in biliary pathophysiology. We therefore studied the regulation and function of BEC TFF3, in vitro and in vivo in IL-6(+/+) and IL-6(-/-) mice subjected to chronic bile duct ligation for 12 weeks. In vitro studies showed that IL-6 wild-type (IL-6(+/+)) BECs expressed higher TFF3 mRNA and protein levels than IL-6-deficient (IL-6(-/-)) BECs. BEC TFF3 expression is dependent primarily on signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) signaling, but the reciprocal negative regulation known to exist between the intracellular IL-6/gp130 signaling pathways, STAT3 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), import

SUBMITTER: Nozaki I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1618723 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature