Trefoil factor 3
protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens
Trefoil factor 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TFF3 gene.
Function
Members 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 disulfide bonds. They are stable secretory proteins expressed in gastrointestinal mucosa. Their functions are diverse, including protection of the mucosa, thickening of the mucus, and increasing epithelial healing rates. This gene is a marker of columnar epithelium and is expressed in a variety of tissues including 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.
Glycan binding
All three human trefoil factors are lectins that interact specifically with the disaccharide GlcNAc-α-1,4-Gal. This disaccharide is an unusual glycotope that is only known to exist on the large, heavily glycosylated, mucins in the mucosa. By cross-linking mucins through the bivalent binding of this glycotope, the trefoil factors are then able to reversible modulate the thickness and viscosity of the mucus.
In breast milk
Trefoil factors (TFF) are secretory products of mucin producing cells.
“Trefoil factor 3” enters the record as protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Trefoil, factor and protein-coding can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 21, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q18031966. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Trefoil factor 3” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.