ERdj5 protects goblet cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis under inflammatory conditions

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease: A protective enzyme in intestinal goblet cells Studies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice reveal the role of an enzyme that assists the degradation of mis-folded proteins in the ‘goblet’ cells involved in producing the mucus barrier that lines and protects the interior of the gut. The most common forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Researchers in South Korea led by Hyun-Jeong Ko at Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, and Sun-Young Chang at Ajou University, Suwon, compared goblet cell biology in normal mice with mice in which the gene encoding the protein-degrading enzyme ERdj5 had been disabled. This showed that ERdj5 protects goblet cells from a form of stress-mediated cell death that occurs during gut inflammation. The results suggest that drugs modifying the molecular mechanisms underlying ERdj5’s actions could open new avenues towards preventing and treating IBD.