Inflammatory memory primes the intestine for enhanced regenerative potential
Abstract
How do inflammation and activation of the regenerative genetic program affect intestinal epithelial cell behavior and shape responses to future injuries? Following injury, which typically induces intestinal stem cell (ISC) death, regeneration occurs via the proliferation of surviving ISCs and via cellular plasticity through dedifferentiation of progenitors and committed cells. While inflammation and cellular plasticity are hallmarks of regeneration, its long-term effects on epithelial cell behavior are not well understood. Using single cell multiomics, we demonstrate that inflammatory exposure and cellular plasticity imprint a lasting transcriptional and epigenetic memory on ISCs and their progeny, priming them for enhanced repair after subsequent injuries. Mechanistically, we identify IFN-γ as a critical driver of this primed regenerative state. These findings uncover how prior inflammation reprograms regenerative capacity, with implications for tissue resilience and disease susceptibility.
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BibTeX
@article{arozamena2026inflammatory,
title = {{Inflammatory memory primes the intestine for enhanced regenerative potential}},
author = {Borja Arozamena and Ilias Moraitis and Loris Mularoni and Olga Wienskowska and Jasin Taelman and Milica Stefanovic and Ignasi Modolell Farré and Ferran Guedea and Mònica Díaz and Jordi Guiu},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-79014-6},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-79014-6},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Inflammatory memory primes the intestine for enhanced regenerative potential
AU - Borja Arozamena
AU - Ilias Moraitis
AU - Loris Mularoni
AU - Olga Wienskowska
AU - Jasin Taelman
AU - Milica Stefanovic
AU - Ignasi Modolell Farré
AU - Ferran Guedea
AU - Mònica Díaz
AU - Jordi Guiu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-79014-6
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-79014-6
AB - How do inflammation and activation of the regenerative genetic program affect intestinal epithelial cell behavior and shape responses to future injuries? Following injury, which typically induces intestinal stem cell (ISC) death, regeneration occurs via the proliferation of surviving ISCs and via cellular plasticity through dedifferentiation of progenitors and committed cells. While inflammation and cellular plasticity are hallmarks of regeneration, its long-term effects on epithelial cell behavior are not well understood. Using single cell multiomics, we demonstrate that inflammatory exposure and cellular plasticity imprint a lasting transcriptional and epigenetic memory on ISCs and their progeny, priming them for enhanced repair after subsequent injuries. Mechanistically, we identify IFN-γ as a critical driver of this primed regenerative state. These findings uncover how prior inflammation reprograms regenerative capacity, with implications for tissue resilience and disease susceptibility.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -