Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/umls/id/C1513724
NCI: Maintaining the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract despite the continual presence of microbial flora and injurious agents is essential. Epithelial repair requires restitution and regeneration. During restitution, epithelial cells spread and migrate across the basement membrane to re-establish surface-cell continuity, a process that is independent of cell proliferation. Epithelial continuity depends on a family of small abundant secreted proteins, the trefoil factors (TFFs). The trefoil factor (TFF) family comprises the gastric peptides pS2/TFF1 and spasmolytic peptide (SP)/TFF2, and the intestinal trefoil factor (ITF)/TFF3. Their fundamental action is to promote epithelial-cell restitution within the gastrointestinal tract. TFFs are abundantly secreted onto the mucosal surface by mucus-secreting cells. Their expression is rapidly and coordinately upregulated at the margins of mucosal injury. Secreted TFF acts on adjacent mucosal cell populations either extracellularly (augmenting barrier function) o