fig5

Figure 5. miR-223 is predicted to bind to the 3’ UTR of the transcript for protease inhibitor, SPINK7, leading to barrier damage and dysfunction in the esophageal epithelium. SPINK7 is required for normal epithelial cell differentiation and protection of the esophagus from harsh, food-derived proteases. miRWalk 2.0 predicts that miR-223 can target SPINK7 for degradation. A resulting deficiency of SPINK7 can lead to increased damage of the esophageal epithelium in EoE