Preventing GVHD by protecting gut stem cells

A protein that protects stem cells in the gut relieves a potentially lethal complication of bone marrow transplantation in mice, according to a study published online on January 31 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Bone marrow transplantation can cure diseases such as leukemia but it can also lead to a potentially fatal complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

A group led by Takanori Teshima at Kyushu University in Japan found that mice treated with a protein called R-spondin1 developed less severe GVHD after bone marrow transplantation.

R-spondin worked by protecting intestinal stem cells, which help to regenerate damaged tissues and thus dampen inflammation.

Whether R-spondin1 is therapeutic for human bone marrow transplant patients remains to be explored.