Linking intestinal homeostasis and liver disease

Linking membrane trafficking and intestinal homeostasis

A major challenge for the human body is to maintain symbiotic relationships with bacterial communities that colonize their intestines. Although several molecules important for intestinal homeostasis have been discovered, the vast array still needs to be identified. We approached this task using a forward genetic approach, which revealed several molecules essential for intestinal homeostasis. On...

Altered systemic bile acid homeostasis contributes to liver disease in pediatric patients with intestinal failure

Intestinal failure (IF)-associated liver disease (IFALD), as a major complication, contributes to significant morbidity in pediatric IF patients. However, the pathogenesis of IFALD is still uncertain. We here investigate the roles of bile acid (BA) dysmetabolism in the unclear pathogenesis of IFALD. It found that the histological evidence of pediatric IF patients exhibited liver injury, which w...

Disturbances of metabolic homeostasis is liver disease.

The role of estrogen receptors in intestinal homeostasis and disease

Estrogen has a pivotal role in many biological functions in both reproductive and non-reproductive organs, mediating actions through its receptors, estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ERβ. The expression of ERs is widespread in the body and is implicated in normal physiological processes as well as in disease conditions, including intestinal diseases. Immunohistochemical and functional analyses have ...

Intestinal antimicrobial peptides during homeostasis, infection, and disease

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including defensins and cathelicidins, constitute an arsenal of innate regulators of paramount importance in the gut. The intestinal epithelium is exposed to myriad of enteric pathogens and these endogenous peptides are essential to fend off microbes and protect against infections. It is becoming increasingly evident that AMPs shape the composition of the commensa...