intestines

February 2, 2023

Nutrient absorption disease model

Vanderbilt researchers developed a model of a patient-specific mutation to explore the pathology of microvillus inclusion disease, a genetic disorder that causes life-threatening diarrhea.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 5, 2021

Motor protein linked to intestinal cell differentiation

The motor protein MYO5B, a cause of the congenital intestinal disorder microvillus inclusion disease, does more than move cellular cargo, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Sarah E. Glass
March 4, 2021

Probiotic protection

A probiotic factor given early in life to mice prevented intestinal inflammation in adulthood, providing a rationale for probiotic intervention in individuals at high risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.

By Anivarya Kumar
September 19, 2019

Microvilli in motion

Live cell imaging studies have revealed that microvilli — finger-like protrusions on the surface of epithelial cells — move and collide as they form the brush border.

By Anivarya Kumar
bacteria microbiome
August 13, 2019

Host-microbe interactions in the gut

Vanderbilt investigators demonstrated that intestinal cells promote beneficial microbe behavior — the findings support developing microbiota-based therapies for intestinal health.

By Leigh MacMillan
July 30, 2019

Intestinal immune cell interactions

Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 14, 2019

Adhesion protein optimizes border

Matthew Tyska and colleagues have found that an adhesion protein plays a key role in building the intestinal brush border that is essential for absorbing nutrients.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 13, 2018

How microvilli form

A protein called IRTKS helps build the microvilli that form the border of cells in the intestines, explaining why the protein is a frequent target of gut pathogens.
By Sanjay Mishra
January 31, 2018

Cell skeleton and the brush border

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a role for microtubules — part of the cellular “skeleton” — in organizing the unique sidedness of the epithelial cells that line organs like the intestines.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 30, 2017

Lineage tracing in the gut

Vanderbilt investigators have developed an algorithm to classify cell types from experimental data, making it possible to understand how organs develop.
By Bill Snyder
October 26, 2017

Gut response to fluid flow

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that microvilli – finger-like projections from cells in the intestine – respond to the shear stress of fluid flow to drive a cellular pathway that regulates nutrient balance.
By VUMC News and Communications
October 6, 2016

Motoring to the tips of the brush border

New findings implicate a motor protein in the assembly of the brush border in the intestines and kidneys – a specialized surface that is critical for healthy organ function.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 8, 2016

Building intestinal brush borders

Studies of the molecular complex that helps build specialized cellular surfaces could shed light on the mechanisms underlying a genetic deaf-blindness syndrome accompanied by intestinal disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
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