Gut microbiota shape the inflammatory response in mice with an epithelial defect.

Intestinal epithelial cell endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in intestinal inflammation. It remains unclear whether ER stress is an initiator of or a response to inflammation. mice, carrying a gene mutation resulting in intestinal goblet cell ER stress, develop spontaneous colitis with a depleted mucus barrier and increased bacterial translocation.