Ulcer-associated cell lineage expresses genes involved in regeneration and is hallmarked by high neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels.

ABSTRACT: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), also known as Lipocalin 2, is an antimicrobial protein, encoded by the gene LCN2, strongly upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and a promising biomarker for IBD. Here we demonstrate that NGAL is highly expressed in all parts of pyloric metaplasia, also known as the ulcer-associated cell lineage (UACL), a metaplastic cell lineage suggested to play a role in wound healing in Crohn's disease (CD). We further show NGAL expression in regenerative intestinal crypts and in undifferentiated patient-derived colonoids. This indicates that NGAL is important in the tissue regeneration process. The remarkable overexpression of NGAL in UACL led us to explore the pathobiology of these cells by transcriptome-wide RNA sequencing. This study is,

SUBMITTER: Thorsvik S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6618036 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature