Cytokine-induced Chromatin Modifications of the Type I Collagen Alpha 2 Gene during Intestinal Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Fibrosis of the intestine is currently an irreversible complication of inflammatory bowel disease; yet, little is understood of the underlying pathogenesis and antifibrotic strategies remain elusive. To develop effective therapies, knowledge of the mechanism of transcription and excessive deposition of type I collagen, a hallmark of fibrosis, is needed. We have shown previously that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) contributes to the pool of intestinal fibrotic cells and that a cytokine cocktail (interleukin 1-β, tumor necrosis factor α, and transforming growth factor β) induces collagen I alpha 2 (COL1A2) mRNA and protein.