背景
Members of the trefoil family are characterized by having at least one copy of the trefoil
motif, a 40-amino acid domain that contains three conserved disulfides.They are stable
secretory proteins expressed in gastrointestinal mucosa.Their functions are not defined, but
they may protect the mucosa from insults, stabilize the mucus layer and affect healing of the
epithelium.This gene is expressed in goblet cells of the intestines and colon.This gene and
two other related trefoil family member genes are found in a cluster on chromosome 21.
