Does interleukin-27 provoke anti-microbial peptide expression in the human gastrointestinal tract?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is common and results in a chronic inflammation in the lining of the gut. There is a clinical need for new and safer treatments for IBD. We have shown that a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory protein (the cytokine interleukin-27) can reduce many aspects of the bowel immune response and help healing of the cell lining of the gut. This project will define responses of specialized 3-D cultures of the cells that line the gut (organoids) from human colon tissue to interleukin-27, particularly the expression of defense genes and proteins that direct our immediate responses to the bugs that live in the gut. IL-27 is a potential new treatment for IBD.