Study advances understanding of colon cancer, colitis

The transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-alpha (HNF4-alpha) plays a key role in colon cancer and colitis. HNF4-alpha comes in two major isoforms, P1 and P2, but how these are distributed in the gut is not understood. Now researchers have determined the distribution of the P1 and P2 isoforms in the colon. They report that maintaining a balance of P1 and P2 is crucial for reducing risk of contracting colon cancer and colitis.