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A new protein, R-Spondin1, has been identified which could help repair
mucosal damage caused by celiac disease.

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Protein Promotes Growth of Intestinal Epithelium
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511090
(Free registration may be required to view this article.)

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Science, Vol 309, Issue 5738, 1256-1259, 19 August 2005

Mitogenic Influence of Human R-Spondin1 on the Intestinal Epithelium

Kyung-Ah Kim, Makoto Kakitani, Jingsong Zhao, Takeshi Oshima, Tom Tang,
Minke Binnerts, Yi Liu, Bryan Boyle, Emily Park, Peter Emtage, Walter D.
Funk, Kazuma Tomizuka

Nuvelo, Inc., 675 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, USA.; Pharmaceutical
Research Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Division, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd.;
Miyahara-cho, Takasaki-shi, Gunma 370-1295, Japan.

Several described growth factors influence the proliferation and
regeneration of the intestinal epithelium. Using a transgenic mouse model,
we identified a human gene, R-spondin1, with potent and specific
proliferative effects on intestinal crypt cells. Human R-spondin1 (hRSpo1)
is a thrombospondin domain-containing protein expressed in enteroendocrine
cells as well as in epithelial cells in various tissues. Upon injection
into mice, the protein induced rapid onset of crypt cell proliferation
involving ß-catenin stabilization, possibly by a process that is distinct
from the canonical Wnt-mediated signaling pathway. The protein also
displayed efficacy in a model of chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis
and may have therapeutic application in gastrointestinal diseases.

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