Trefoil Factor 2 (TFF2)

Trefoil factor 2 is aMember 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.

The porcine gene was used to clone human and mouse SP cDNAs from stomach cDNA libraries. The human SP cDNA encodes a predicted 129-amino acid protein.