Intestines

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

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. Read More

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. Read More

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

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

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. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have developed an algorithm to classify cell types from experimental data, making it possible to understand how organs develop. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a new type of immune cell residing in the intestinal epithelium that may function as a first line of defense against ingested pathogens. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered how intestinal cells build the "brush border" -- a specialized surface structure that is critical for absorbing nutrients and defending against pathogens. Read More

Clostridium difficile on the intestinal lining. (Wellcome Images) Clostridium difficile (“C. diff”) infection is a leading cause of hospital-associated diarrhea, and the frequency and severity of infections are on the rise. D. Borden Lacy, Ph.D., associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and colleagues recently demonstrated that the C. Read More

A new map of the developing gut of quail offers valuable tool for studying intestinal diseases. Read More

The epithelial cells that line the intestines have a newly discovered mechanism for protecting us against microbes: they fire anti-bacterial "bullets" into the gut. Read More