TGFα-associated MUC2 and MUC3 expression of the gastric epithelium in Ménétrier's disease during remission of ulcerative colitis

The broad clinical heterogeneity of Menetrier's disease (MD) has been recently described by Rich et al .1 There are few reports on MD patients with a history of ulcerative colitis (UC). Overexpression of the transforming growth factor α (TGFα) leads to gastric epithelium abnormalities similar to those of MD.2 A significant increase in TGFα levels has been observed in inactive UC compared with healthy controls. TGFα could be the link between both inactive UC and the development of MD. TGFα stimulates gastric cell proliferation as well as mucin biosynthesis. Normal gastric mucosa expresses MUC1 and MUC5Ac in foveolar epithelium and MUC6 in the glands, while MUC2 and MUC3 are predominantly expressed in goblet cells and enterocytes, respectively, of the small intestine. We investigated mucin expression in a …