Altered expression of epimorphin in ulcerative colitis.

Background And Aim: Epimorphin is suggested to play a key role in the morphogenesis of epithelial cells. We focused on epimorphin and attempted to clarify the relationship between expression of this molecule and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: Colonic specimens were taken from 23 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 15 with Crohn's disease (CD), six with non-IBD colitis, and 10 normal controls.