Despite the high prevalence of chronic gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori, the gastric
mucosa has received little investigative attention as a unique immune environment. Here,
we analyzed whether retinoic acid (RA), an important homeostatic factor in the small
intestinal mucosa, also contributes to gastric immune regulation. We report that human
gastric tissue contains high levels of the RA precursor molecule retinol (ROL), and that
gastric epithelial cells express both RA biosynthesis genes and RA response genes …