Breugelmans, Tom

Abstract: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn\u2019s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic, progressive and disabling disease entities characterized by chronic relapsing inflammation of the intestines. Aberrant expression of mucins, which are the main components of the mucus barrier covering the intestinal epithelium, has been documented in the IBD research literature. Although several studies have emphasized a role for transmembrane mucins in the epithelial barrier function, they are often still considered as passive mediators of the mucosal barrier instead of regulators or modulators and their mechanisms of action still remain poorly understood. Therefore, the general aim of this thesis was to investigate the mechanisms by which transmembrane mucins impact the intestinal mucosal barrier function upon inflammation, and to explore their potential use in clinical diagnosis and management of IBD patients. By using in vivo, in vitro, and translational models, this PhD dissertation demonstrated an important role for MUC1 and MUC13 in the intestinal epithelial barrier function in IBD, thereby adding further evidence on the pivotal role of transmembrane mucins in the regulation of IEC behavior and intestinal barrier homeostasis. In addition, by performing a cross-sectional monocentric study in pediatric IBD patients and a pilot study in adult IBD patients, we highlighted that mucins and in particular their mRNA isoforms have the potential to serve as biomarkers in a clinical setting, thereby encouraging further research

Exploring the role of transmembrane mucins in intestinal barrier dysfunction in inflammatory bowel diseases

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Institutional Repository Universiteit Antwerpen