Loss of hepatocyte-nuclear-factor-4alpha affects colonic ion transport and causes chronic inflammation resembling inflammatory bowel disease in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hnf4alpha, an epithelial specific transcriptional regulator, is decreased in inflammatory bowel disease and protects against chemically-induced colitis in mice. However, the precise role of this factor in maintaining normal inflammatory homeostasis of the intestine remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sole role of epithelial Hnf4alpha in the maintenance of gut inflammatory homeostasis in mice.

Methodology/principal findings

We show here that specific epithelial deletion of Hnf4alpha in mice causes spontaneous chronic intestinal inflammation leading to focal areas of crypt dropout, increased cytokines and chemokines secretion, immune cell infiltrates and crypt hyperplasia. A gene profiling analysis in diseased Hnf4alpha null colon confirms pro

SUBMITTER: Darsigny M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2764139 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature