Mucus-secreting cells of the stomach epithelium provide a protective barrier against damage
that might result from bacterial colonization or other stimuli. Impaired barrier function
contributes to chronic inflammation and cancer. Knock-out mice for the epithelium-specific
transcription factor Spdef (also called Pdef) have defects in terminal differentiation of
intestinal and bronchial secretory cells. We sought to determine the physiologic function of
Spdef in the stomach, another site of significant levels of Spdef expression. We used in situ …